Galaxy of Stars
by hysterical laughter
Summary: After the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico crossover. Death involved.
1. Prologue

**Galaxy of S****tars**

**Summary:** after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico crossover.

**Prologue**

It is a fact that people die everyday. However, soldiers seem to die more frequently, and are in par with deaths from poverty filled countries. Soldiers, who risk their lives for what is right… no… soldiers, who risk their lives for what they think is right. What one person thinks, others may not agree and so the process of conflict starts. The universe is filled with people with different beliefs and morals.

It starts from childhood, two children wanting the same toy. They fight, have fits and when one gets it the other tries to take it from them and the cycle continues. However, when people get older, when a side wants something and the other side does as well, they now have other means to fight for it. Artillery, man power, battleships… the list goes on…

The cycle just continues and one does not know which side would be considered 'good' or the 'light'. People enlisted have no choice in which side they must take, they're called to do a duty and by helping the other side they're 'fraternising with the enemy' or they'll be considered as a traitor. And some see what is going on and just can not just stand in the sidelines and watch one side take over. The line between right and wrong is blurred to most people and they might not notice walking over that line… but it happens.

Sometimes there are those who, defeat all odds and tries to understand the other side's story. It is these people who sacrifice everything to try and do right, it is usually these people who make the difference and it is these people who die for the greater good of mankind. Some die young… never to grow old and see their grandchildren; never to look back at life and laugh. To sacrifice they're happiness, for the future of man kind… And for the future of they're family and friends.

The universe is filled with stars, if the stars represented people who passed onto the afterlife; then we could clearly see how many people died since the beginning of time. Whether or not it was from natural causes we can not discriminate; we just have to accept the fact that one day we will die and no one lives forever. But as humans we can not accept the fact that someone we care about is dead or will be dead. Even with the foreknowledge we can not bring ourselves to accept that they are gone or will be gone and that it is a cycle of life. Birth, childhood, teenage life, adulthood, marriage, parenthood, death and it continues. The knowledge does not stop us from feeling hurt or the feeling of grief that takes a hold of us. The only thing we can do is to preserve their memory and their life, to not wallow in self grief and get on with life and to live life for them, to honour their memory.

**how is it?? i had this weird idea... but im not sure if it's good... thanks for reading!!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover!!

**Okay here's the next chapter!! sorry if it's late! the comp at school was really slow and didn't load!! And i apologise if it does not reach peoples standards... it's pretty depressing... i'm like wow did i write this? and then i look at chapter one and i'm like: this sucks... LOL... i hope it's alright!! enjoy the read!!**

**Chapter 1**

"Ochibi… are you alright?" asked Eiji.

"I'm fine," said Ryoma, as he walked passed him.

"Is it really alright for you to be at school? You could take a day off," said Syuichiroh. "I'm sure Tezuka would understand…"

"I'm fine Oishi-sempai…" said Ryoma, and walked out of the club room.

"Sa… don't worry about it, Oishi," smiled Syuusuke, "he probably wants to busy himself so he doesn't think about it…"

"But wouldn't that make it worse?" asked Syuichiroh. "His family was just killed…"

"I don't think he likes being reminded," said Syuusuke.

"He's stubborn," said Takeshi, "That brat just doesn't want to show weakness…"

"Maybe Tezuka will go easy on him," said Takashi.

"And who was it that agreed to take him to school?" snorted Kaoru.

"What was that Viper? You're blaming me?" asked Takeshi.

"Momo… Kaidoh… twenty laps," ordered Kunimitsu as he entered the club room.

"Sa… Tezuka… what are you going to do?" asked Syuusuke as they looked at Ryoma who was stretching. For the many months they had known the freshman, they watched before their eyes as the freshman change. He allowed his hair to grow and said that getting it cut was a waste of time. After time, he started looking more feminine than Syuusuke. A/N: gasp! How is that possible?

At the start of the year they saw him as an arrogant and cocky freshman, however day by day the arrogance disappeared and the cockiness turned into blunt comments. When asked, Ryoma just said it was a waste of energy to continue with it.

"Echizen… you shouldn't be here," stated Kunimitsu.

"It's a school day," stated Ryoma.

"You should go home," said Kunimitsu.

"Why…? There's nothing to do at home," said Ryoma with a blank face, "Unless you want me to go home and clean up…"

"Maybe you can stay with one of us," said Syuichiroh.

"I'm fine living with myself," said Ryoma.

"Sa… I'm sure Nee-san won't mind staying with us…" smiled Syuusuke.

"I've imposed on enough people," said Ryoma.

"You won't be imposing," smiled Syuusuke 'what do you mean by that?'

"I think I'll turn down your offer," said Ryoma.

"Echizen…" warned Kunimitsu. "You are to stay at Fuji's…"

"…" Ryoma just kept quiet.

Takeshi laughed, "You can't say no can you?"

"It's not that…" said Ryoma, "I'm just not bothered arguing…"

Everyone just sweat dropped, and remembered that he was just lazy. They knew they couldn't get through to him even if they pestered him all day and decided to allow Ryoma to have some space for himself for the day.

"Echizen is acting really strange," said Hario, as he talked to Katsuo and Kachiro, when they walked out for lunch.

"Eh… Ochibi acting strange?" asked Eiji as he jumped out of no where, which caused the three freshmen to jump in surprise.

"Eiji-sempai!" exclaimed Katsuo in surprise.

"What is this I hear about Echizen?" asked Syuusuke.

"Fuji-sempai, Ryoma-kun has been acting strange," said Kachiro.

"What do you mean?" asked Syuusuke.

"He's done everything," said Kachiro.

Fuji frowned, "Please elaborate… I don't understand…"

"Every exercise for the year," said Katsuo, "he's finished them all…" (A/N: I really can't do that…)

"Serious…?" asked Eiji.

"Not only that… he's been reading," announced Hario.

"Tennis magazines?" asked Syuusuke.

"No… manga and novels," said Kachiro, "It's strange…"

"In science he explained something in technical terms that was very hard to understand," said Katsuo.

"Sa… it seems this is more serious than I thought," said Syuusuke thoughtfully.

"Nyah… we have to save him!" exclaimed Eiji.

"Save whom?" asked Syuichiroh, as he and the rest of the regulars appeared.

"Ochibi…! He's reading manga and novels! He even finished all exercises for the whole year!" exclaimed Eiji.

"Maybe, he is taking his family's death badly," said Takeshi.

"I believe we'll find our freshman on the roof," said Inui as they walked passed the first years class.

"Are you looking for Ryoma-sama?" asked Tomoka. "He won't be on the roof…"

"Where is he?" asked Kunimitsu.

"We… we saw him go into the computer room," said Sakuno nervously.

"Computer room…?" and the regulars shared a worried glance and quickly headed to the computer lab. They looked through the door and could see Ryoma in the corner typing away quickly at speed that they did not think was possible. His eyes were transfixed onto the computer screen and not once did they see him blink or look down.

"What the hell is he?" asked Takeshi, "He is definitely not acting normal."

"Maybe you should let him sit out of practise today Tezuka," suggested Syuichiroh.

"We'll see," said Kunimitsu. "If the situation does not change…"

Afternoon practise came and it seemed that nothing changed; more weird stories about Ryoma started floating around.

"Sempai…! Big news…!" gushed Hario, "Echizen didn't sleep in English…! He always sleeps in English!"

"OMG… Echizen-kun is so cool," gossiped a girl, "Did you hear what he wrote in English? He's such a romantic and such a deep guy…" (A/N: Romantic…?)

"I know… he's so cute too…" said her friend. Meanwhile near by Tomoka was on the verge of an outburst and Sakuno was trying to calm her down.

"What did he write in English?" asked Syuusuke curiously.

"Something about the sky, people, fighting, and death…" said Hario. "Apparently the teacher thought it was deep and meaningful and told us to copy it down." (A/N: refer to prologue… if it sucks… then imagine it as a very good piece for Ryoma's sake…)

"Do you have it?" asked Syuusuke.

"Nah… why bother?" shrugged Hario.

"That's not good!" said Kachiro, "Even though it was hard to understand, I know it talking about something important…"

Katsuo who had ran off, came back with a piece of paper and handed it to Syuusuke to read; Syuusuke scanned the page and instant looked over to Ryoma.

"Sa… Is it alright if I borrow this?" asked Syuusuke.

"A… sure," said Katsuo.

"Thank you…" said Syuusuke.

"Everyone, gather round!" ordered Sumire, "I've receive important news… The regulars were asked to attend a special camp to hone their abilities… it starts with Saturday and until the end of the year…"

"Eh…? Does that mean its like boarding school?" asked Eiji.

"A little like that…" said Sumire. "Rikkai and Hyoutei receive the same news I've heard…"

"No one else?" asked Takashi.

"Apparently, they only found three schools with enough talent," said Sumire and she turned to Ryoma, "You don't have to go if you don't want to Ryoma…"

"I haven't met Rikkai yet…" said Ryoma with a blank face, "It'll be good to see what they're like…"

Everyone just sweat dropped and wondered if the boy was naïve or just playing dumb.

"Ochibi can bunk with me!" said Eiji, "I swear I'll behave and not be loud… I'll take care of you!"

"As I was saying," said Sumire, "It is this Saturday, you all should get here tomorrow night and a bus will pick you up at eight…"

"Eh? You're not coming with us?" asked Takeshi.

"They don't need me… I'll keep the club rolling," said Sumire. "Regulars are free from training to prepare for the trip, the rest of you back to work!"

"Yay…!! No training today!" cheered Eiji, and looked over at Syuusuke, "Nyah… Fujiko… you don't look very happy…"

Syuusuke held out the paper to Eiji who took it and scanned it, "Nyah… Oishi! Translate for me! I don't understand a thing!"

Syuichiroh came over and looked at the paper, "Who wrote this?"

"Nyah…! Fujiko had the paper," said Eiji.

"Fuji… did you write this?" asked Syuichiroh, soon they were joined by Takeshi, Takashi, Kaoru, Kunimitsu and Sadaharu.

"No… It's Echizen…" said Syuusuke.

"It doesn't look like his writing," said Sadaharu.

"Katsuo's writing but Echizen's piece," said Syuusuke. "He wrote it on the board for English apparently…"

"Can someone translate it?" asked Takeshi.

"Fshu… a first year wrote it and you can't even read it," muttered Kaoru.

"Shh… be quiet you two," said Eiji, "I want to hear the translation…"

They all listened as Syuusuke translated for them and did not notice that Ryoma had finished changing and was heading towards them.

"That says 'honour their memory'," said Ryoma, as he looked at the paper.

"Echizen…" said Syuichiroh nervously.

"What is it?" asked Ryoma, he didn't look like he cared.

"Sa… you finished changing," smiled Syuusuke, "Wait for me…"

Syuusuke walked to the club room to change and the rest of the regulars just looked at Ryoma. More like stared and Ryoma just stared back with a blank face.

Eiji broke the silence as he jumped the boy, "Nyah…! Don't worry Ochibi! Kikumaru Eiji will always be here for you! I'll save you!"

"Kikumaru-sempai," said Ryoma as he struggled out of his grasp. Then he mumbled, "Who's going to save me from you?"

"Sa… let's go Echizen…" smiled Syuusuke, "Do you want to go to the public courts and play for a while?"

"Fine," said Ryoma.

**There's chapter one... hope it meets to your standards!! have a question ask away!! i'll try answering unless that's going to be answered in another chapter... Next chapter: Rikkai pops in... the Fuji household... the 'try to help' plan... tattoos and a 'metal detector'...**


	3. Chapter 2

**Galaxy of S****tars**

**Summary:** after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**thanks for all the cool reviews!! here's the next chapter!! hope it's alright!! Please enjoy the read!!**

**to roselle: thank you for the offer of us being chatpals... i've got a hotmail account not a yahoo account... and i don't have internet at home... i usually just update stories at school or internet cafes when i have time!! we could email each other if you want... i don't mind... :grins:**

**Chapter 2**

"Sa… what a surprise," smiled Syuusuke as he saw who was at the courts.

"Isn't it?" smiled Seiichi.

"It's Seigaku's Tensai!" said Akaya. Ryoma just looked on with half interest, not bothering to contribute for anything.

"Sa… this must be the famous freshman that I've heard so much about," smiled Seiichi.

"Who are they?" asked Ryoma.

"This is Rikkai," smiled Fuji, "The people you were looking forward to meeting…"

"Ah…"

"Echizen… I'm sorry to hear what happened to your family," said Genchirou, as he held out his hand.

"Its fine," said Ryoma, as he shook hands with Genchirou. Ryoma looked at their hands, "They're the same…"

"What's the same?" asked Syuusuke.

"Nothing," said Ryoma as he let go of Genchirou's hand.

"So… Echizen-kun will you be at the camp?" asked Seiichi.

"There's nothing better to do," shrugged Ryoma. The others just sweat dropped.

"Your freshman's interesting," smiled Seiichi. "Sa… Echizen… you did pretty well in your match with Hyoutei…"

"Thanks," said Ryoma, but they could see his mind was else where.

"Sa… Echizen… what are you thinking about?" asked Syuusuke.

"Nothing," said Ryoma.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," said Bunta.

"Nothing of importance," restated Ryoma. More sweat drops.

"Is he always like this?" asked Seiichi.

"Unfortunately so," smiled Syuusuke.

After an hour of talking, they all parted ways and went home. Syuusuke were surprised that not only was Yuuta home but also both his parents were as well. The two parents were in the lounge room with a big blue print on the tea table.

"Syuusuke…" greeted Yumiko, "Ah… Echizen, I'm sorry for your loss…"

"Its fine," said Ryoma, "I'm sorry if I'm imposing…"

"Its fine," smiled Mr. Fuji. "I've heard many great things about you but I never thought you'd be this short…"

"I get that a lot," said Ryoma.

"Dinner's ready in ten minutes," said Yumiko, "Why don't you wash up?"

During dinner the even was some what strange especially to Yuuta and Syuusuke. There was not much talking; either it was because they did not want to touch any touchy subjects or no one found the need to talk.

"You all have it…" said Ryoma.

"Eh…?" they all looked at him and could see that the boy was looking at the back of their hands. They cursed as they realised they forgot to wear their gloves.

"Your hand," said Ryoma, "All the regulars have it… as does Hyoutei and Rikkai…"

At that point the Fuji family looked at Ryoma's hand and saw nothing. Mr. Fuji smiled, "It's sort of like a tattoo…"

"It seems to be popular then," said Ryoma. "I'm done…"

"Do you want desert?" asked Yumiko with a smile.

"No thank you," said Ryoma, "I'm fine…"

"Do you have any homework? I'm sure Syuusuke won't mind sharing his desk," said Mrs. Fuji.

"No… I'm done with all my homework," said Ryoma, "However, is it alright if I use my laptop?"

"Go ahead," smiled Mr. Fuji.

"Thank you," said Ryoma, as he stood up and took the plates to the sink. Strangely the Fuji family found them watching Ryoma's every movement.

"That blueprint you had out," said Ryoma before he left, "I think you need to counterbalance one of the sides… Symmetry might help… It won't flight right, with the way it is…"

The adults widened their eyes and watched as Ryoma walked away, Mrs. Fuji turned to Syuusuke, "Who is he? And what were his parents' occupations?" A/N: I can't see what's so important…

"Ryoma Echizen… his father was a professional tennis player and his mother was a lawyer…" frowned Syuusuke.

"He's not an ordinary boy," said Mr. Fuji and showed the back of his hand. "Syuusuke, have you seen anyone else have these markings?"

"I'm not sure, they might have it hidden," said Syuusuke, "the regulars at Seigaku do everyone except for Echizen… he seems clueless about it…"

"Curious… very curious…" said Mr. Fuji.

"What's going on?" asked Yuuta.

"Nothing," chorused the adults. The two underage teens shared a look of confusion, however said nothing.

By the time Syuusuke went to his room it was already ten thirty A/N: Can't think of a reason why…. He came in to find his guest already a sleep on a futon. Syuusuke marvelled how Ryoma could sleep so soundly, and look the same as he was awake. Ryoma slept on his back and both hands folded neatly on his stomach, his face showed calmness and peace. Syuusuke shook his head and decided to do some homework before he went to sleep.

"_It's been fun playing cat and mouse with you… however I must say goodbye… with this we will invisibles… too bad you won't be there too see…"_

_Fire… heat… screams… the smell of burning flesh…pain…_

Ryoma's eyes snapped open, "That dream again…"

Ryoma noticed the dim light shining through the window. It was morning…

Syuusuke woke up to the sound of his alarm; he looked up the ceiling for a while and smiled. He felt that it would be fun to try and wake up Ryoma, after all the young boy was known for sleeping in. He got up and turned towards the futon to find it already packed and the freshman missing.

"Echizen…?" Syuusuke looked and saw the boy at the desk, dressed ready for school, in front of his laptop.

"Echizen…?"

"Yes…?"

"Nothing," Fuji shook his head and thought that it was a faze or a one time thing that Ryoma was going through. "I believe breakfast is waiting for us…"

Ryoma closed his laptop and soon followed him to the table. The two Fuji brothers watched as their family seemed to be watching Ryoma with a calculated stare, while Ryoma seemed oblivious to it. However the Fuji house hold looked in shock as Ryoma drank black coffee with no sugar in once taking. Soon it was time to leave and Syuusuke didn't exactly know what to say to Ryoma, so the trip to school was silent.

"The apocalypse has come!" shouted Takeshi, "The brat's early! Tell me Fuji-sempai… how did you get him out of bed?"

"Sa… you won't believe this but he was up before I woke up," said Syuusuke.

"No way!" shouted all the regulars.

"Something must definitely be wrong, he's taking this harder than we thought," said Syuichiroh.

"Wasn't it you who said that said that we should allow him to overcome his grief on his own pace?" asked Takeshi.

"However it is sometimes good for someone to be there for him," said Syuichiroh. And so the 'trying to help' plan began.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Oi… Echizen… you know… you can always talk to me if there's something on your mind," said Takeshi. "Anything at all…"

"Thank you for the offer," said Ryoma, "I'll remember that…"

"You don't have anything on your mind right now?" asked Takeshi.

"I'm just thinking if I remember to pack everything for tonight," said Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Oi… Echizen," said Kaoru.

"Kaidoh-sempai," greeted Ryoma.

"Do you need help with anything?" asked Kaoru.

"No… not that I know of," said Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Ochibi… Tell your favourite sempai what's wrong?" exclaimed Eiji, "Allow me to solve all your problems!"

"Kikumaru-sempai… you're going to get us kicked out of the library," stated Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Echizen… we shall play a penalty game," said Inui with grin, "we shall ask questions back and forth. If one of us knows that the answer is a lie then we drink the penal tea…"

"Why are you here?" asked Ryoma.

"I was experimenting this game," said Inui.

"That's a lie Inui-sempai, you can drink the penal tea," said Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Echizen-kun… how are you today?" asked Takashi.

"I'm fine thanks," said Ryoma.

"That's good…" said Takashi and picked up a racquet, "DON'T LIE… TELL ME WHAT'S UP! BURNING…!"

"The sky is up," said Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Echizen… are you… feeling alright?" asked Syuichiroh.

"I'm fine, Oishi-sempai," said Ryoma.

"You know we could somehow help you out if you're stressed out or something," said Syuichiroh.

"I'm fine, sempai," said Ryoma.

BREAK POINT HERE

"Echizen…" said Kunimitsu.

"Buchou…" greeted Ryoma and Kunimitsu said nothing but looked at Ryoma in the eye. Expecting the young prodigy to understand his telepathic message; there was a long silence and somehow Kunimitsu started thinking if Ryoma was also sending him the answer telepathically too.

"I'm fine," said Ryoma. Kunimitsu then realised that maybe the young freshman had telepathic powers and was able to read his mind. A/N: I just laughed when I wrote his section of the chapter…

BREKA POINT HERE

"Well that was a total bust," said Takeshi, "He's like a concrete wall… even a brink wall would have been easier…"

"Maybe he doesn't want to burden us with his troubles," said Takashi.

"But we're his sempai! He has the right to burden us!" said Eiji.

"Do you even know what you just said?" asked Takeshi.

"But its true isn't it?" whined Eiji. No one decided to comment.

"What else happened?" asked Kunimitsu as he felt that there was something else the tensai has on his mind. Syuusuke took this opportunity to tell the regulars about the strange conversation at dinner. And none of them could think of an explanation for it, not even a wild guess.

A/N: I'm too lazy to talk about the whole day…

"Well… I guess this is some what of a reunion," said Seiichi as simultaneously the teams came out of their buses.

"Yukimura…" greeted Kunimitsu, "It's been a while…"

"Tezuka… it seems once again you are graced with ore-sama's presences," said Keigo.

"Can he be anymore self centred?" whispered Bunta.

"Ah… Seigaku… Rikkai… Hyoutei, welcome!" said a man with a black business suit and a red tie. "My name is Nishi Kenichi, I'll be your escort into the main hall… first of all please leave all baggage here and the staff will take it in."

The regulars busily placed down their bags and waited for more instructions, "Please form a line and we will have to go through a metal detector… this is for the safety of all students and it is part of protocol."

There was lots of pushing and shoving among rivals as well as childish regulars. Akaya, who was last and behind Ryoma, didn't exactly like the idea of being last and brushed in front of Ryoma, who didn't seems fussed. Slowly each regular went through the detector and none of them seemed to have any metal on them, until it reached Akaya. Even after emptying his pockets and going through it many times, the detector still went off.

"Sorry kid… you can't go in," said an officer.

"But…!" complained Akaya, "I don't have any metal on me…"

"Okay last kid," said the officer, "Put down the bag…"

"It's my computer gear…" said Ryoma.

"Put it down," said the officer. In the end Ryoma handed it over to Akaya to hold and went through only for the detector to go off again and the process continued. "Sorry kid you can't come in…"

Ryoma didn't seem like he cared, "Have fun at camp, sempai…"

"Oi… Echizen, that's not funny…" said Takeshi.

"I guess two people are unable to attend," said Kenichi, "What a pity… but just as well… it is two less children to take care of…"

The regulars frowned and Kenichi chuckled as he led them down a long corridor, "it would have been dangerous for them to have any metal on them as this place is filled with magnetic energy…"

Syuusuke frowned, as did Genchiroh; they looked at each other as if knowing that they were thinking of the same thing. They both fell in step with each other and Syuusuke showed him a few gold coins, while Genchiroh held out a Stanley knife.

"This doesn't seem right," whispered Syuusuke.

"You two, act normal," said Seiichi as he walked passed them.

"I wonder what Kirihara's doing?" asked Bunta.

BREAK POINT HERE

"I can't believe I'm not in there!" screamed Akaya, and then looked at Ryoma, "And you don't looked pissed about this…"

"Calm down… it's not even a metal detector," said Ryoma.

"How would you know?" asked Akaya.

"Most of them had coins in their pocket and it didn't go off, Fuji-sempai did that on purpose so he could mess with their mind a bit…" said Ryoma. "What's stranger is the fact that there's no one that's taking their things in…"

"You make it sound like you didn't want to go in," said Akaya.

"What difference would it have made if I told you I didn't?" said Ryoma.

Akaya smirked, "For a tennis prodigy, you are twisted…"

"You should be happy you're not in there either," said a voice behind them.

BREAK POINT HERE

The regulars were led into a huge vacant room that looked like an empty warehouse rather than a hall. Above them were a few men with guns and immediately they knew that something was definitely wrong.

"Welcome…! I'm sure you all know by now that this is all a hoax," smiled a man from above them, also wearing a suit.

"Why are we here?" asked Yuushi.

"It's so nice to find people who are clueless," laughed the man. "Without giving away to much detail, I'll say that your 'tattoos' are the reasons why you're here…"

"Tattoos?" and all the regulars shared a look and subconsciously held onto their hand as if hiding the back of their hand.

The man evilly grinned and brought out a gun, "And it is also the reason why you will all die…"

BANG

**ARG!! the asterisks and some other symbols won't save on the site!! oh well...There's chapter 2... hope it was alright!! next chapter: arrest... Mr. Prospector... the Nadesico C... programmer... Jun and Seiya...**


	4. Chapter 3

**Galaxy of Stars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**Okay!! third chapter here!! thanks for all the awesome reviews!! love u all heaps!! i've been trying to get a hold of a comp with net so... yes... i'm not good with excuses so who cares... enjoy!!**

**Chapter**** 3**

The regulars closed their eyes and waited for the pain, not knowing who he aimed for. They only opened them when they heard something clutter to the floor. The man held his hand and the gun was metres away from them.

"Where the hell did that shot come from?" shouted the man. At that moment windows broke as men in uniform jumped through and surrounded them with guns.

"Former Jovian Admiral Hunter, you are under arrest for the murder of the Echizen family and the attempted murder of potential Earth Unified officers…" said a man.

"Buchou!" called out Akaya as he ran through the door towards them in tow was all their parents, "Are you guys alright?"

"Syuusuke," said Yumiko, "Thank goodness your fine!"

"Nee-san… Kaa-san, Tou-san… Yuuta… what are you doing here?" asked Syuusuke.

"We were worried when they called," said Mr. Fuji.

"I just followed them," said Yuuta.

Kunimitsu's father appeared with a gun in hand. Mr. Fuji laughed, "You still haven't lost your touch Tezuka …"

"That wasn't me" said Mr. Tezuka. "My eye piece was broken… that kid did it…"

"Kid…?" asked Mrs. Fuji.

"I believe Kunimitsu called him Echizen," said Tezuka.

"Echizen…? Are you sure?" asked Mr. Fuji.

"I'm sure… he just appeared and fired right next to me," said Mr. Tezuka.

"Then he is definitely not an ordinary boy," said Yumiko.

"Of course he isn't," said a voice behind them. They all turned to see a strangely dressed in pants, a white buttoned shirt that was buttoned up to the top, a tie and a red vest. His dark head was parted in the middle; he had a two piece moustache and wore glasses.

"Prospector…" said the adults.

"What's going on?" asked Syuusuke.

"Who were those people?" asked Bunta.

"Let us get out of this building," smiled Prospector, "As for the questions, those… 'Tattoos'… that is the reason why you were in that situation…"

"Tattoos…?" asked Seiichi.

"Yes… the one on the back of your hand," said Prospector, "The one where you use the excuse saying it's a 'tattoo'…"

"How could they tell?" asked Seiichi.

"That detector you walked through," said Prospector as they walked past the said machine. "An IFS detector…"

"IFS…?" asked everyone, everyone took off their skin like glove and looked at the 'tattoo'

"What about it?" asked Renji.

"A nano implant is required to operate the IFS, image feedback system used to control heavy machinery, ships and giant robots. On Earth, only pilots have the implants but they are more common on Mars," said Prospector. "The metal detector that you walked through is an IFS detector…"

"Mars…?" questioned everyone, however Akaya wanted to say something first.

"But I have it," said Akaya as he took of a skin like glove and revealed the metallic mark.

Prospector caught sight of something and smiled, "It seems confusion was caused…"

He took off of Akaya what looked like a normal round white sticker, "This stops the detection… this mucked up their technology… and yes… Mars there are people living on Mars and space… in colonies… but now isn't the time or place…"

"How did he get…?" asked Hiroshi, as he pointed to the sticker thing.

"That would be the interesting part…" smiled Prospector.

"Mr. Prospector," greeted Ryoma when they reached the bus.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" said Prospector pleasantly.

"It has…" said Ryoma, having the same blank face.

"You know each other?" asked Mr. Yukimura.

"You could say we were old friends," said Prospector.

"I'll head back…" said Ryoma as he picked up his things and turned to leave, "It was good to see you again…"

"Are you sure you remember your way back?" asked Prospector, "We're all heading to the same destination."

"I'm taking a detour," said Ryoma.

"We'll see you soon then," said Prospector cheerfully. "Now everyone onto the bus so we can head off…"

...

"Welcome to Nergal…" said Prospector.

"I've heard of this," said Kuwahara.

"Yeah… isn't it part of the Unified Earth alliance defence…?" asked Ryou.

"Indeed…" said Prospector.

"What does it have to do with us?" asked Gakuto.

"Like it said before… you are potential Earth Unified officers," said Prospector. "You will be part of the new crew of the new spaceship."

"Serious…? I always wanted to go to space!" exclaimed Eiji.

"That is what many people dream of however you first must complete your training," said Prospector. "However we must first complete the construction of the ship…"

"We've finished everything except the programming," said Yumiko, "Why are you stopping the programmers?"

"There's someone perfect for that job," said Prospector.

"Someone more qualified than the top Nergal programmers?" asked Atobe.

"In this situation… yes…" said Prospector. "Now let's get you comfortable…"

...

"This is where you put these things," said Yumiko as she pointed to a room.

"What's in the box?" asked Takeshi.

"Spare spark plugs… random things," said Yumiko.

"What about that room?" asked Eiji.

"I think it was a communication room," said Yumiko.

"You're not sure?" asked Hiroshi.

"Only people with a particular security access are able to enter," said Yumiko and coincidentally when she said that the door opened and out stepped Ryoma. "How did you get in there?"

"Ms. Yumiko," greeted Ryoma as he held his hands were filled papers, "I've got clearance… they allowed me into the control room…"

"Oh… there you are," said a man as he came up to Ryoma, "We need help in sector 1…"

"Excuse me," said Ryoma and followed the man. Yumiko looked on with a glazed look.

"Nee-san… is there something wrong?" asked Syuusuke.

"I'll be weary of him," said Yumiko, "Be careful, he doesn't seem to be one to trust."

"Ochibi…? Not trust worthy?" asked Eiji. "But Ochibi is innocent!"

"Be careful," repeated Yumiko.

"We will," confirmed Kunimitsu.

Throughout the day they did see the freshman not even during lunch. Even when dinner came there was no sign of him. They came to a conclusion that he bailed out or he got jumped; both highly unlikely as they could not imagine him giving up.

"And now you will all see the ship that you will be part of," said Prospector. "Meet the Nadesico."

"What's he doing here?" asked Mr. Tezuka, as he pointed to Ryoma who was in the docking bay walking towards the glorious Nadesico ship and set up his lap top from his pocket which folded out.

"Right now… I believe he's programming the ship," said Prospector.

"Programming…? I don't think he's qualified," said Mr. Sanada.

"I assure you that the child is more than qualified," said a man from behind them, and then walked passed them and went towards Ryoma, "Kid… it's been a while."

"Mr. Seiya…" greeted Ryoma, "I'm not surprised that you were recruited for maintenance…"

"More than maintenance, kid," said Seiya. "Need any help…?"

"Not… wait…" said Ryoma, as he quickly typed into the lap top, "Pull that cable from the ship… now!"

Simultaneously, Seiya pulled the cable from the ship and Ryoma pulled the same cable out from his lap top. Seiya handed the cable to him, "What's wrong?"

"A bug… I can't send anything in unless I want it infected…" said Ryoma; he took the able to a desk and placed the cable in a cylinder container, "Let's see what this bug is…?"

"Analysing cable… use mode 2… this is bad… the stupid machine is full of this…" said Ryoma, he looked at the screen, "Mr. Seiya… how fast can you put together a machine for…"

"Say no more…" said Seiya, "I'll just take out the old and destroy it…and lucky for you I've got one prepared earlier…"

"Just order a few people to help you…" said Ryoma.

"He's Mr. Seiya," said Prospector.

"He was from the legendary crew of the original Nadesico," said Yumiko, "I didn't think he was alive…"

"It was better for people to think he was dead," said Prospector.

"How is it, that Ochibi knows lots of people?" asked Eiji.

"Ryoma has been an active part of Nergal for a while now…" said Prospector.

"Does that mean he is the youngest person to be in this organisation?" asked Wakashi.

"That would seem like him," said Sadaharu.

"No… the youngest person was Hoshino Ruri," said Mr. Yanagi. "She was recruited at the age of four…"

Prospector just smiled when he heard this, "It seems that you did your research…"

"Okay… back it up a bit," said Seiya.

"Sorry, I'm late," said a man who wore a white uniform, he looked slightly girly.

"Jun…" greeted Prospector. "What's the rush?"

"The enemy… how fast can you get he ship ready…?" asked Jun.

"How long do estimate they'll be here?" asked Prospector.

"Twenty minutes," said Jun.

"I'll buy us two hours," said Ryoma.

"Ah… it's been a while," smiled Jun, "How have you been?"

"Fine thank you," said Ryoma.

"Two hours…?" asked Prospector. Then turned to everyone, "Okay people, we've got less than two hours to evacuate this place…"

"How will you be doing that?" asked Yumiko.

Ryoma pulled out a detonator and pressed it, "I've placed a generator under the temple… its strong enough to think that the Nadesico C is there… they'll divert over there…"

"Nadesico C…?" asked Yumiko.

"Yes… Like A, B, C…" said Ryoma.

"Oi… we've finished… better get programming…" called out Seiya.

"Okay…" said Ryoma and pulled out another cable from no where and plugged it into the laptop and ship.

"Do you need me to do anything?" asked Jun.

"You're the acting commander… you think of something," said Prospector.

"But what about…?"

"We keep it hush-hush," interrupted Prospector, "You're the acting commander…"

"Okay… everyone please hurry with the loading and clear the area…" ordered Jun.

"Commander Aoi," said a man as he saluted, "We've just arrived, please direct us…"

"Please assist Ryoma," said Jun.

"Ryoma…?"

"Yes… Ryoma, the kid over there…" said Jun, half meaningfully, as he nodded his head to the said boy.

"Aye," saluted the man and went to the group of other new arrivals and went to Ryoma who directed them.

"Okay… everyone, hurry!"

Within an hour everything was on board and they launched into the air leaving behind nothing. They flew over oceans and mountains until they arrived at their destination.

"Nyah… I thought we were flying to space," said Eiji.

"We haven't trained for anything yet," pointed out Yuuta as they stood in ordered rows waiting for someone.

**there's chapter 3... how was it?? i looked at it and wondered too... lol... well hope you enjoyed it...  
**

**Next time: Saburota… Rurouni Hotoko… weapons master… washed up womaniser… spies… questioning… and... the death of the Echizen family in depth(sort of)...**


	5. Chapter 4

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**is it too late to do a disclaimer?? lol... i forgot all about it!! well as you all know i don't own Prince of tennis or Nadesico... and that's probably a good thing too... lol... there' might be random spoilers throught out the story... knowing me i probably placed a few in already... lol... oh well... there's the froth chapter... slowly i'm beinging to think the story line is getting weider and weirder... oh well... thank you for all the cool reviews!! i hope to not let you all down!! hugs and kisses!! enjoy the read... beware of slight randomness...**

**Chapter ****4**

"Is this the new recruits?" asked a man.

"Admiral Misumaru," saluted Jun.

"I see your well…" smiled the moustached man.

The regulars looked around and saw different coloured jackets and they knew that the ones wearing white were one with authority.

"Yellow are cooks, red are pilots, blue are maintenance and orange are communications," said voice next to them.

"Ochibi is that you?" asked Eiji, as he looked over too the short figure who was dressed in a black hooded trench coat, a white buttoned shirt and black jeans.

"Isn't it bad manners to wear a hood indoors?" asked Syuusuke.

"But it's not illegal," pointed out Ryoma.

"Admiral Misumaru, is this a new recruit?" asked Jun as he pointed to the man wearing a similar uniform to him however he had a back rope rather than red and did not have the triangular cloak. He had long blonde hair and there was one red streak on left side.

"This is Saburota Takasugi," said Admiral Misumaru.

"I'm here as a royal guard," said Saburota coolly. "So… where's my charge?"

"How do you know his not a spy?" asked Jun. A holograph screen appeared in clue and a group very overly dressed family appeared.

"_Hello dear," said the man cheerfully. "But the time you receive this message it would mean that your mother__, your brothers and I are no longer alive…"_

"Isn't he a bit too cheerful to be saying that?" whispered Kuwahara.

"_This will be your body guard," smiled the woman, "I know your independent and that's why you decided to leave home… but allow us this last wish…"_

"_We know that our lives will be targeted," said a boy._

_Then they all smiled and said in unison, "We love you!"_

"And that is my proof," said Saburota. "Now where is my charge?"

"I don't think the child needs your protection," said Prospector.

"Still have to make sure all suspicious people are thoroughly investigated," said Saburota. "Let's start with he kid with the hood…"

"Why would a kid be the most suspicious?" asked Jun, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Saburota knocked his hand away and headed towards Ryoma.

"Kid… State your name and rank," said Saburota.

"I'm not allowed to divulge such information," said Ryoma in a bored tone.

"So you won't mind if I frisk you," smiled Saburota.

"I should warn you that you will regret it," said Ryoma.

"Lieutenant Saburota," warned Admiral Munetake.

"I'll only take a second," said Saburota cheerfully.

"I won't allow it," said Jun as he grabbed his arm only for Saburota to pull out a gun and pointed it at him.

"Lieutenant Takasugi, please place down your gun," said Ryoma.

Saburota just smiled, "And why would I do that?"

"Because I too have a gun to your head," said Ryoma.

Saburota put his hands up, "I knew you were not a normal kid…"

'You're not the only one….' thought the regulars and their family.

Saburota smiled and turned around quickly, hand swinging expecting to hit something. By the time he turned around and was pointing his gun. His gun pointed to air and he felt a gun under his chin.

"Ryoma Echizen," said Ryoma, "That's what they know me as… I'm currently the programs manipulator…"

"Echizen…? Echizen, I apologise…" said Saburota. "I didn't know Nanjiroh and Rinko had a kid…"

"We should get going," said Admiral Misumaru. "The meetings about to start…"

"Oh joy another boring meeting," said Saburota.

"You can sit out," said Admiral Munetake.

"No… I have the duty to sit through boring meetings if the person I have to protect has to… even though that person may not be here…" shrugged Saburota.

"How noble of you…" said Jun sarcastically.

"Lieutenant Takasugi," said Ryoma, "Please apologise to acting Commander Aoi…"

"Okay… okay… I'm sorry for almost blowing you up," said Saburota.

"Not exactly the apology I had in mind," said Admiral Misumaru, "But I'm sure Jun won't mind… after all you'll be in the same crew…"

"What?!" exclaimed Jun, "Him…! You have got to be kidding…"

"I believe the admiral is serious," pointed out Ryoma.

"Must you be so blunt…?" asked Jun wearily.

"I like this kid!" laughed Saburota, and placed an arm around Ryoma, "We'll get along just fine…"

Ryoma didn't seem at all fazed at this then again no one could see because of his hood hide his face in the shadows.

"Come now… we don't want to be late," said Admiral Misumaru, everyone headed toward the general entrance to the meeting room, "Where are you going, Ryoma…?"

"The general entrance…" said Ryoma and pointed to the door.

"You're supposed to go this way…" said Admiral Misumaru.

"If that washed up womaniser is in there, my name is Rurouni Hotoko," said Ryoma.

"You still don't like him do you?" asked Jun.

"Do you?" asked Ryoma.

"Well… no…" said Jun, "But… we have to keep the peace…"

"Okay… Rurouni… are you ready to head in?" asked Admiral Genpachiro Akiyama.

"Yes, sir," said Ryoma.

"Why does the kid get to go through there and I have to sit with everyone else?" whined Saburota.

"The kid has more experience on the field than you," said Admiral Misumaru.

"How's that…? He's younger than me," pointed out Saburota.

"And more mature," coughed Jun.

"Can't I just pretend I'm a no body?" said Ryoma.

"Come on," said Admiral Misumaru cheerfully and pushed Ryoma into the room. "Come on now… we better start the meeting. You need to explain some things in this meeting…"

They all entered the room and saw it was somehow like a large circular lecture room with an overhead screen at front.

"My… my… new comers," greeted Nagare Akatsuki. "I never knew there were enlisted men that were able to wear casual…"

"Rurouni Hotoko," introduced Admiral Akiyama, "resident programs specialist and weapons master."

"Really… the shrimp is a weapons master?" asked Akatsuki. "What's with the hood? It makes you look more like an assassin…"

"Ochibi is a weapons master?" whispered Eiji, "Wow…!"

"Okay… let's start," said Admiral Misumaru, "A few weeks ago there was an assassination of the Echizen family as well as the royal family…"

"Should I be surprised about this?" asked Akatsuki, "After all this wasn't a first time… it's just this one succeeded."

"It may be true however it seems that this was planned for years it seems," said Admiral Misumaru. "Our sources tell us that the victims were watched for years and made a move when they knew they were vulnerable…"

"I heard that they had an Echizen Ryoma," said Akatsuki, "However… there was no record that they had a son… or a child for that matter…"

"Have you ever thought that the kid could be their nephew?" asked Admiral Akiyama.

"Surely not from Rinko's side," said Akatsuki with a frown.

"Wouldn't his name tell you his on Nanjiroh's side," scoffed Jun.

"Indeed… strange… I was sure he had no relatives…" said Akatsuki.

"He's just a kid you they picked up off the street or rather allowed him into their home," said Ryoma, "There's no record of an Echizen Ryoma because he never existed… if both sides were keeping tabs on them… they should already know why there are no records…"

"He's… not an Echizen…?" whispered the regulars.

"A street kid…?" questioned Mr. Fuji.

"However the way that kid carries himself he doesn't seem to be one," said Saburota.

"Okay… Mr. Weapons Master please tell me your theory of the killing," said Akatsuki.

Ryoma stood up from his seat, "On the 27th of last month, Echizen Rinko was shot dead on her way to her monthly trip to Kanagawa. The shot was fired at an angle of 61° 11´ 7˝, it showed that the bullet fired was travelling at the speed of 150km/h, which suggests that it was fired at the range of 15 metres…"

"You don't have to stand," said Admiral Misumaru.

"Ah… okay…" said Ryoma and sat down and continued, "Since the road she travelled was mostly rural it meant that the shooter had been following her for a while and would suggest that the shooter was a pilot and waited for the target to drive past…"

"On the same day, Echizen Nanjiroh and Meino Nanako were at home and they opened to the door to their killer…" said Ryoma, "There was no sign of struggle which suggests that the person that killed them was a person they knew and there was no fire wasted. They both died instantly with one blow to the head each. The entry of the bullet suggests that the shooter was about 175cm in height… Nishi Kenichi fits this description…"

"Enough… are you sure you're a weapons specialist? It all sounds a bit Forensic to me," said Akatsuki.

"The bullet is the key," said Ryoma. "If they had blown up something then I would look at the type of bomb they used…"

"Rurouni has been very particular about weapons and technology…" said Jun.

"That reminds me… where is the commander of the Nadesico?" asked Akatsuki, "I would like to wish him luck… after all he is leading a ship of rookies into battle against elites."

"I assure you that these rookies will be more promising than the elites," said Ryoma, "They will after all be hand picked from their performance…"

"My… my… you speak as if you know which rookie will be on the ship," laughed Akatsuki, "Did the commander tell you who he was eyeing already?"

"Actually… the commander…" started Jun, however was interrupted

"The commander placed commander Aoi in charge until all things are green," said Admiral Misumaru.

"Well… I hope you pick the right men and of course women," laughed Akatsuki.

Three hours after, the meeting ended and Akatsuki left with his crew. Half way through the meeting Ryoma had excused himself and said he remembered that he had left a pot of water cooking on the ship and that he had skipped breakfast. At the same time Saburota had somehow sneaked out.

"Who's been unloading the ship?" asked Gakuto, as they saw a few boxes next to the ship.

"There's one on top of the ship," said Ryoma, who was holding his small compact laptop.

"Ah… found it!" said Saburota "Is that it? Your lucky I'm nice guy and was willing to help you… your not even part of my job…"

"Hopefully…" said Ryoma.

"What's wrong?" asked Prospector.

"Please direct all personnel in this area into the meeting room, Admiral Misumaru, Admiral Akiyama, Admiral Munetake, Commander Aoi, Mr. Prospector and Lieutenant Saburota please stay behind," said Ryoma calmly.

"Everyone… back into the room," commanded Admiral Munetake. They all groaned and walked back into the meeting room.

"It seems there's a double crosser amidst us," said Saburota and held up a red bug and a white bug.

"There's more than one…" said Ryoma. "They've placed a tracker and a canceller around the ship…"

"What can we do?" asked Jun.

"We can not tell them because we would also be informing the spy," said Ryoma, "the only way is to subtly give them different assignments that does not allow them to go onto the Nadesico…"

"Sounds good to me," shrugged Saburota.

...

"What do you think their saying?" asked Eiji as they all picked through the door.

"It looks serious," said Syuichiroh.

"It could be about those boxes… maybe it's something they don't want us to see," said Syuusuke.

"I must agree with Fuji," said Seiichi.

"Quick their coming our way," said Akaya. Soon all the admirals came in but there were no signs of Jun, Saburota, Prospector or Ryoma.

"It has come to our attention that not all of us are satisfied with what information given," said Admiral Munetake, "Some think that they should know the full detail…"

Everyone agreed, Admiral Misumaru continued on, "We'll be splitting into two groups… each one will be training, of course at different training sites… however before that we will interview you all and why you should be chosen as part as the Nadesico crew…"

By the time they got out of the room they found he boxes gone and the ship also gone, the only person there was Saburota.

"They left you on your lonesome?" asked Admiral Akiyama.

"They thought it would be fun if I was here and informed you that they'll be back by the time training starts…"

"Why would they take the kid with them?" asked Atobe, "The only person who has the ability to drive that from the three of them is Commander Aoi, even if he was from the original crew, he can not drive than thing alone…"

"They'll be fine…" laughed Admiral Misumaru, "If not then Prospector will definitely be saying his greetings from the deep blue sea…"

"How can they take this calmly?" whispered Syuichiroh. Thus began the questioning…

...

"Why do you want to be part of the Nadesico?"

"I want to go to space! Nyah…!"

...

"It is my duty… and it is an honour to serve my country…"

...

"Failure is not an option for me… therefore I will work hard to fulfil my role…"

...

"I didn't think I would be part of this…"

...

"Sa… Is Echizen in the crew? I wouldn't mind joining…"

...

"Echizen is an interesting opponent… even though I have not yet played against him… however his skills as a tennis player are promising…"

...

"He will be Seigaku's pillar of support…" (A/N: I don't think that was part of the question…)

And the questioning continued.

**chapter four done!! how was it?? my line breaks went haywire on me once again... sorry!! Next time in chapter 5: Another legenday Nadesico member... class on defence with Ryoma... the regulars are placed into groups... laps and the 48 hour decoding...  
i think that's enough with hints... yeah?? thanks for reading!!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**okay!! i got this chap up as soon as i could... but i have to study for my retest of my midyear... yes... i failed it!! but don't blame me...! practically the whole class did!! (which is a relief cos then i don't feel so stupid) it's this wednesday... arg!! i'm dead!! oh well... i wanted to post this before heading to my own death... please have a good funeral for me... lol... THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! and yes... Ryoma said he was a street kid for a reason... oh fun... i don't even remember if i stated that reason in this chapter... hum... oh well... i'm slowly losing the plot... lol... i've got the idea for their adventure... but the things inbetween are fuzzy... so i hope this is alright... BEWARE OF FARFETCHNESS!! you have been warned... ENJOY THE READ!! LOVE YOU ALL HEAPS!!**

**Chapter 5**

"Okay… everyone board your shuttles," ordered Admiral Misumaru.

"I thought there were two groups?" said a man.

"Opps…" laughed Admiral Misumaru, "I really couldn't decide so I made a third one…"

Everyone just sweat dropped. They boarded anyway and the three shuttles went all in different directions. Coincidentally the regulars from all three schools were in the same shuttle with their families.

"Welcome to your training," said a woman with blonde hair.

"Ms. Inez…" said a surprised voice behind her.

"Ryoma…" smiled Inez, "Besides the hair I would say you haven't change at all…"

"How is it that you're…" started Ryoma.

"We'll catch up later," smiled Inez, "I have to sort out the newcomers…"

"My name is Inez Fressange," said Inez.

"Another legendary Nadesico member," whispered Ohtori.

"You will all be sorted out into groups in depending on your field of expertise…" said Inez, "But first let me introduce a few instructors…"

"Ensign Hari Makibi," said Inez as they indicated the short boy, "He will be taking those for systems and communications…"

"Please to meet you all," said Hari with a bow, his slicked back navy hair stayed in place which told them it was probably gelled.

"Lieutenant Saburota Takasugi will be taking those for piloting," said Inez and they all saw the cheerful blonde man salute to them cheerfully.

"Mr. Seiya will be taking those for maintenance and electronics," said Inez and the man just grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Mrs. Howmei isn't here yet but she's in charge of the cookery," said Inez.

"Sorry we're late," chorused a group of girls.

Inez indicated the older woman who looked every friendly, "This is Mrs. Howmei…"

"And we're the Howmei girls," said the five girls.

"There is also a compulsory class on defence," said Inez.

"And I'll be taking that class," said Ryoma and took of his hood.

Saburota whistled, "Never knew you were such a pretty boy, Echizen Ryoma. For a street kid you sure are a looker…"

Jun snickered from behind Ryoma, "He's not a street kid as he so mentioned in the assembly…"

"But…" started a man.

"It would be easier for them to shut up if you give them a reasonable lie and they just fell for it," said Ryoma with a shrug, "Heck… it might be only half a lie… I don't remember what I said exactly anyways… but if it made them stop talking about it then what ever i said must have worked"

Everyone sweatdropped.

"Okay… DO you want to start your class now?" asked Inez to Ryoma, as she changed the subject.

"Now…? We just got here!" said Eiji.

"It's more fun to get it over with," said Ryoma and led them to a room where they could tell was where officers could practise their firing skills. At the other end of the room were cardboard with outlines of people and targets.

Ryoma picked up a placed on ear muffs and glasses as well as a gun from the bench in front of him, "This course is to slightly teach you how to defend for yourself if your alone… a gun is the most easiest to use… after all you just aim and fire…"

Ryoma shot a bullet and it hit the target squarely in the centre. Then shot one right in the middle of the outline human's head, "That shot would instantly kill a person… however…"

He shot the bullet and hit barely next to the shot place he shot before, "That shot could be instant death… however there are cases that some people survived from those shots…"

"A shot through the heart…" said Ryoma and shot the target at the heart, "Is also very effective."

He shot at the gun, "That would be disarming a person safely…"

"If all else fails…" said Ryoma and flicked his arm in a fast swift movement. Three knives embedded themselves in the centre of the head, at the heart and at the groin, "You could always use knives…"

"He's good…" whispered a man.

"This is crazy…" whispered Yuuta.

...

By the end of the day everyone was sorted in their field of expertise. The regulars looked at where they were placed. And surprisingly they found that their parents were in that area as well.

**Communications**** and Systems:**

Syuusuke Fuji

Kunimitsu Tezuka

Yuuta Fuji

Keigo Atobe

Seiichi Yukimura

**Maintenance:**

Sadaharu Inui

Renji Yanagi

Yuushi Oshitari

Bunta Marui

Munehiro Kabaji

Masaharu Niou

Hiroshi Yagyuu

Gakuto Mukahi

**Pilot:**

Takeshi Momoshiro

Kaoru Kaidoh

Choutarou Ohtori

Kuwahara Jackal

Ryou Shishido

Wakashi Hiyoshi

Genchirou Sanada

**Cookery:**

Syuichiroh Oishi

Eiji Kikumaru

Takashi Kawamura

Akaya Kirihara

Jirou Akutagawa

Lunch time

"Echizen… is that for me?" asked Takeshi as he bounded towards the big bowl of ramen next to Ryoma.

"That's not for you…" said Ryoma as he ate. "That's for Ms. Inez… the next one is for Mr. Jun… and the other one is Mr. Prospector's…"

"But why do you get better food?" asked Bunta.

"Ryoma… did you make this?" asked Jun as he appeared and looked at the bowl.

"Mr. Jun," greeted Ryoma.

"That kid wanted to borrow the kitchen," laughed Mrs. Howmei from the kitchen.

"It seems that you tried the recipe," said Prospector, as he appeared and ate some ramen, "Not exactly the same… it has your touch in it…"

"We'd better change the name of the special then," said Ms. Inez as she appeared.

"No… we'll keep the name, he'll be happy to know that we're enjoying his ramen," said Ryoma as he blew on the soup and drank it.

Ryoma then stood up, "I'm done… I'll see you all around…"

They all looked worriedly at each other. Mrs. Howmei spoke up, "The kid's been pushing it… it may not seem it… but the kid seems worried…"

"Yeah…" agreed the Nadesico veterans. The regulars from the three schools just looked on.

...

Ryoma opened another can of Ponta and looked up at the starry sky, "Watch over us…"

"How are you doing?" asked Jun as he came out and looked at the four empty cans on the floor next to Ryoma, "You must really miss them…"

"Your not here just to say that," said Ryoma from where he sat.

Jun sat next to him, "Seriously… we're all here… we're not going any where…"

"I know that," said Ryoma as he finished the can and was reaching for another one, however Jun stopped him.

"I'm drinking this one," said Jun, "If your planning to drink like this again… invite me along…"

"I didn't think you'd be interested in Ponta…" said Ryoma.

"However drinking it in company makes it tastier," said Jun.

Ryoma's mouth twisted into a slight smile, Jun continued, "Seriously… if you need to talk, I'm always free… even if it's two in the morning."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Ryoma with a yawn.

...

"Ochibi has been strange since we've been here," said Eiji.

"Besides the fact that he seems to have worked here for a while," said Wakashi, "We really don't know who Ryoma really is…"

"Is Ryoma alright?" asked Prospector. They all turned to the voice and saw Jun carrying Ryoma in his arms.

"Yeah… He just feel asleep," said Jun, "But after drinking five cans of Ponta I thought he'll be up all night…"

"The kid seems to be taking it hard, after all this time," sighed Prospector, "How long has it been? Almost a year…?"

"One year next week," said Jun.

"It's almost that time… I never thought it would come round," said Prospector.

"Poor Child," said Mrs. Howmei, "Being there and all…"

"Let's get the kid to bed…" said Prospector.

"What's wrong with the girly guy?" asked Saburota, as he walked up from behind the regulars.

"He fell asleep," said Seiichi. "He has an interesting choice of places to sleep…"

...

"Echizen," greeted Yuushi, "I was under the impression you weren't a morning person…"

"Not getting to school in time doesn't mean I'm not an early riser," said Ryoma as he scrolled down the document he was reading on his laptop.

"I'm under the impression that you have something else to add," said Ryoma.

"Who are you? Who are you, really?" asked Yuushi.

"A twelve year old kid, who has seen the jaws of death," said Ryoma.

"Is that really it?" asked Yuushi.

"I don't like divulging things about myself," said Ryoma, "Did no one tell you I like my life private?"

"I believe your friends did say that once," said Yuushi.

Ryoma then abruptly stood up, "What's wrong?"

"You better start running…" said Ryoma.

"For what…?" asked Yuushi.

"Oi…! Kid! You're late…! Run 30 laps!" called out Seiya.

"Eh…?"

"But I'm the first one here," said Yuushi.

"That is why you have 30 and they have 30 plus," grinned Seiya.

"30 plus…?" asked Yuushi.

"The amount time their late," said Seiya, "Every 5 minutes I'll add a lap… your lucky kid… your only 30 minutes late…"

"Mr. Seiya loves to push his subordinates," said Ryoma as he walked away.

"Where's he going?" asked Yuushi.

"Control room, probably going to play video games until something comes up," laughed Seiya, "Better start those laps before I add more on them."

An hour later

"Attention Maintenance trainees… please go to the hanger immediately to face punishment," announced Ryoma over the PA.

"Ochibi is mean," groaned Eiji as he fell off his bed when the announcement was made. "Nyah… I'm lucky I'm not Maintenance…"

Thirty minutes later

"Why are they running?" asked Yuuta.

"We didn't arrive to our session on time," said Yuushi next to him.

"Why aren't you running?" asked Yuuta.

"I already did, I was only thirty minutes late," said Yuushi. Yuuta just sweat dropped.

...

"Okay… As you all know I'm Hari Makibi…" said Hari, "Okay let's start with the basics."

A few minutes later every one just looked as Hari's face lit up and glowed and they all frowned as they looked at Hari and looked at each other. They didn't know what to do.

"Hari…" said Jun.

Hari's eyes snapped open, "Yes…?"

"They are unable to connect directly to the computer like you," said Jun, "Please explain how they are supposed to operate communications…"

"Err… sorry… I forgot…" said Hari, "Right… let's start again… err… you would see in front of you a keyboard…"

"I don't think he knows what his doing…" said Yuuta.

"Okay… If you press these two keys then your communication screen should appear," said Hari as a screen appeared in front of all the students and they could see his fingers pressing the keys. Jun just shook his head and looked around. The maintenance group seemed to be running around. The pilot groups were just sweat-dropping as Saburota seemed to be exaggerating his actions and explanations.

"What do you think?" asked Inez.

"I'm not sure if some of them are too young?" said Jun. "I know they might be promising… but the junior high kids still have a whole life ahead of them…"

"However if they go back they'll just be targeted," said Inez. Jun just sighed, "How is Ryoma doing?"

"Pushing the limits again," said Jun, "Just working in overdrive… I'm not sure if Ryoma's okay…"

"I guess… the child is just coping what ever is thrown," said Inez, "We'll just have to be there every step of the way to make sure that Ryoma doesn't fall…"

"Aye…" said Jun as he continued his evaluation of the situation, "The Nadesico is safe and so all we have to do is get a crew together…"

"It seems it's easier said than done," said Inez as she watched Hari laughed nervously at a mistake he seemed to have done, "Hari isn't used to doing it manually…"

"He's the only one who's free right now and that is qualified…" said Jun, and saw Ryoma rush through the door, barefooted in a bathrobe and hair in a towel, "What's wrong?"

"There's a coded message," said Ryoma as he turned on the computer equipment. "It's from the Nadesico…"

"I could decode it for you," said Hari as he rushed over.

"Are you able to stay awake for 72 hours?" asked Ryoma as he looked as several holographic screens appeared.

"72 hours?" asked Hari.

"That's how long it would take to decode it if you connect directly to the computer," said Ryoma, as he typed quickly, his eyes flickering back and forth from one screen to the next. "Manually it would take 48 hours…"

"Excuse me," said Ryoma, as he glided past to the computer next to the one he was using. Then started mumbling under his breath and typed rapidly. "The person who sent it was able to reverse the rolls where manually it would take shorter than automatically…"

"Why isn't he tutoring the communications and systems class?" asked Yumiko.

"He's not available," said Jun, "I might take over if Hari isn't satisfactory…"

"Where'd he learn how to type and read so fast?" asked Hari in amazement.

"Ryoma was brought up like that," said Inez, "Not to mention photographic memory… however the typing is something new… probably practising for a few months…"

'Doesn't look like months,' thought everyone.

**There you go... it was a bit farfetched wasn't it?? well it served as a good laugh when i reread it... hope it was too your liking... i've planned all the chapters already... so at least there's some sort of idea what i should be writing in each chapter... so... this story will be 14 chapters long plus a prologue and epilogue... that makes 16 chapters in a way... hmm... that means... 10 more updates after this...? would you find it strange if i said that i already wrote up the epilogue?? lol...  
Next time: the decoding… a tad of the legendary Nadesico crew… flashbacks… the list is up… space… the announcement for captainship and binging…**


	7. Chapter 6

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**YAY i finished my mid year retest!! i'm so happy i'm done with that i've updated earlier than expected!! wee!! yay!! let's just ope i pass it though... lol... but then my did semester test is coming up next week!! arg!! i think i'm celebrating too soon!! oh wellz... sigh... oh wellz... Thank you for all the reviews!! Hugs and kisses all round!! BEWARE FARFETCHNESS AHEAD!! i mean it!! my brains been scrabbled with the test today i think the scrabbling went into my story too... lol... enjoy anyways!!**

**Chapter 6**

"You need to sleep," said Jun.

"Can't… I have to decode this," said Ryoma as he typed away. Everyone came from breakfast to see that Ryoma was still at it, "There s time limit and I have to do this in one sitting… if I don't then I have to start the process again…"

"He's not even looking at what he's pressing," whispered a man. "What a scary kid…!"

"Touch typing," said another.

"At least eat…" said Jun.

"When I have time," said Ryoma without looking away from the screens. Even though the instructors were teaching their groups the regulars from each group just looked at Ryoma who was in full concentration and typing away.

"Mr. Kunimitsu… I assure you that Ryoma is fine," said Jun, "So please play attention to what is said…"

"I apologise," said Kunimitsu.

"What goes for all of you," said Jun and then went back to explaining what each button did and the collaboration of the data.

...

"Here's dinner," said Jun as he placed the tray on the table.

"Thanks," said Ryoma, however made no move to eat.

"Not eating?" asked Jun.

"No… I will…" said Ryoma, "after exactly one hour it goes on a five minute pause… I'll start eating when the break starts…"

"Then I'll wait too…" said Jun, "After all it's much more fun to eat in company…"

"What's for dinner?" asked Ryoma, the towel that was on his head was now around his neck.

"The Mars bowl," said Jun, as he leaned on the bench, "are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"I'm fine…" said Ryoma, "There just over 20 hours left and I think I'll be able to finish this earlier than expected…"

Ryoma stopped typing, stood up and stretched before sitting back down and slide over towards Jun.

"Thanks for the food," said Jun and Ryoma. They ate in silence, not noticing the people at the door watching.

"Ochibi is really dedicated," said Eiji.

"He's been awake for over 30 hours," said Yuushi.

"That brat doesn't seem to care," said Keigo.

"They seem close," said Seiichi.

"They do don't they?" chuckled Mrs. Howmei, the regulars jumped, "You must be worried about that kid too…"

"Yes… How is it that he's involved in all this?" asked Syuichiroh.

"The kid was born into it," said Mrs. Howmei, "Poor thing… we can't do anything but watch from the sidelines…"

"If you don't mind me asking… my parents said that all the original Nadesico crew died," said Syuusuke.

"The captain ordered evacuated everyone on board, so she would be the only one on board," said Mrs. Howmei, "Jun was ordered to make sure we got away safely… even when Captain Yurika ordered everyone… some refused, Jun however had a job to do and that was to escort the evacuees to safety…"

"They were all willing to go down with her…" smiled Mrs. Howmei, "Even Ruri… even if she was eleven; she would rather die on that ship than run away…"

"Ruri…?" asked Sadaharu.

"Ruri Hoshino," said Mrs. Howmei, "an amazing bright girl… a child prodigy, who's very fond of leaning and Akito's ramen… Poor child never got to live happily with Captain Yurika and Akito… God rest their souls… that crew was the bravest that the world has ever seen…"

Mrs. Howmei shook her head sadly as she walked away, by the time the regulars looked back to Ryoma, he was back typing. Jun just sat next to him and watched as if keeping him company. The next morning they found Ryoma still typing and Jun asleep, head resting on his arms on the table and wrapped in a blanket.

...

Forty hours had past and Ryoma was still typing… everything was as routine. However the routine broke when a chair hit the floor.

"Ryoma… what's wrong?" asked Jun as he rushed over to Ryoma who had fallen to the floor and was staring at one screen in particular. Jun looked at the screen and his eyes widened, the old Nadesico crew tied up to chair. He immediately closed the screen, "Who sent it?"

"Omoikane," said Ryoma, "He said that someone else sent it to Nergal who sent it to him…"

"Sadist," muttered Jun, "They really are playing with us… Go back to your quarters and get some sleep…"

"No… I need to go the Nadesico…" said Ryoma.

"What…?" asked Jun.

"The Nadesico could be in trouble," said Ryoma, "If that video and all that information was sent to us to make us work on decoding it then they probably wanted us out of the way… Nadesico could be in trouble…"

Jun didn't look pleased, "Ms. Inez… could you organise a jump? As soon as you reach the Nadesico, as soon as you see it's safe, please make sure Ryoma goes straight to bed…"

"I don't think that's relevant," said Inez.

"Huh?" Jun looked down and saw Ryoma was already in slumber, the bags under his eyes were clear as day and he was still wearing a bath robe.

"I think we'd better get him changed first," said Jun. Inez just smiled in response and followed Jun and Ryoma out.

"Jump…?" asked Mr. Fuji. "Isn't that impossible? A normal person cannot jump successfully…"

"Ms. Fressange is a Class A jumper," said Seiya, "And of course a normal person can survive, after all they use a distortion field…"

"I could have gone instead," said Hari.

"Kid… it doesn't matter now," said Saburota, "leave it to the more experienced people…"

"But Ryoma doesn't seem to have any signs of being a systems operator or a jumper for that matter…"

"What a better way to kill the kid then," said Saburota with a shrug.

An hour later Jun came back by himself, "The list of the Nadesico crew will be up tomorrow morning and we will leave the day after…"

"What a rush…" said Seiya with a sigh.

Jun looked at the information on the screen and frowned; even with the video screen down the information left on the screen was overwhelming. It was written plans on the capture of the Nadesico. There was something else that caught his eye: 'by the time you open this message and read it all we will be already taking over the Nadesico C…'

"Ryoma was right," said Jun to himself as he turned off all the screen and disconnected the cables from Ryoma's small laptop and then pocketed it

"_Jun… I'm thinking of getting guardianship of Ruri… what do you think?" smiled Yurika._

_..._

"_Jun… I want you to make sure you all escape safely… that's an order…," said Yurika, "And of course the captain always goes down with the ship…"_

_..._

"_Don't worry… I'll protect her with my life," said Akito. "I'll protect everyone… I'm sure we'll meet again."_

_..._

"_I'm the system's operator… it's my job to be with the ship," said Ruri, "However, I would like you to keep this…it's Omoikane… if the ship is captured they get him too… please take good care of him…"_

_..._

"_We warriors go down fighting, so I think we'll pass," grinned Ryoko._

_..._

"_There's a reason that I'm on this ship," said Megumi, "And if I stay I might see what it is…"_

_..._

"_If I'm not here they can tell that some of us have evacuated," said Inez, "I'm sure we could somehow Boson jump out…"_

_..._

"_Take care, Jun," smiled Minato._

...

Jun shook his head to clear his mind, 'Ms. Inez somehow was able to Boson jump away, however the others were somehow unlucky… I have to make sure that I chose the right people for the crew… Why do I have to be the current acting captain?'

"Okay… I can do this," said Jun out loud and started to type the list for the crew, "I have to do this for them… for her and for the world…"

...

The next day, not surprisingly the regulars found themselves as part of the Nadesico crew, their parents were half thrilled and half saddened. Of course many others were also in the crew and the original Nadesico crew was also in as well. They were all surprised to see that Hari was under back up systems operator and that Ryoma's name was missing as well as the captains and the acting captain's name. They all thought that Jun thought it was unnecessary. They said their goodbyes to their family and were on their way to space

"We'll be going to space!" cheered Eiji.

"Sa… I guess Echizen isn't in the crew," said Syuusuke.

"Indeed," said Seiichi, "I was looking forward to having a talk with him…"

"Nyah… does that mean Ochibi won't be with us?" asked Eiji as he sulked.

"Hello… my name is Araragi and I am the captain of this fleet," said Araragi as he appeared on screen.

"I am Jun Aoi, and I am acting captain of the Nadesico C," said Jun, "Thank you… for escorting us…"

"Are you sure your not a girl?" asked Araragi, Jun's eyes twitched, but refused to comment.

"Captain… Bose readings up ahead!" announced a man.

"What…?" exclaimed Jun and Araragi.

"This is definitely not my day," muttered Jun and turned to Syuusuke, "Syuusuke, please fly the shuttle…"

The regulars stiffened, if Syuusuke flew the shuttle then that meant… dangerous piloting.

"I've heard from Ryoma how capable you are behind a wheel," said Jun, "I want you to speed past the enemy."

'Echizen said that? Fuji… capable…?' sweat dropped the regulars and the communications and systems crew that had first hand experience of his skills in a simulator.

"Okay…" said Syuusuke and he went to the front.

"Do we have any weapons?" asked Takeshi. "Then we could blast them out of the sky…"

"No… we had to take them off to camouflage the shuttle…" said Seiya.

The shuttle started to shake, and everyone held on for dear life.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to always watch your back?" asked Ryoma as he appeared on screen, still having bags under his eyes. "Now firing main cannons…"

The shuttle swerved to the right before a beam came out of no where and fired behind them at the enemy.

"What the…? Ryoma… did you get any sleep?" asked Jun.

"If I remember correctly you said if the Nadesico was secure…" said Ryoma and the screen disappeared.

"Nyah… that was Ochibi!" said Eiji.

"WE know…" muttered Gakuto.

"They did it…" breathed Seiya.

"They're just getting more accomplished," laughed Mrs. Howmei.

When the shuttle docked, Jun was the first out and reprimanded Ryoma, "You can't just not sleep…! As a superior officer, I want you to go straight to bed…"

"Yes sir…" said Ryoma with a salute and walked away.

"Ryoma just saved your life, wasn't that a bit harsh?" asked Inez.

"He can't just not sleep; I know it's a bit harsh to pull ranks out…" said Jun.

"Ryoma's been have micro sleep, and technically they are sort of mini sleeps," said Inez, "The kid's just putting what's best for the world first…"

"That's what I'm more worried about," said Jun.

"We're all here not only to protect humanity but also to watch over the kid," said Inez.

"I'm in," said Seiya.

"We're in…" chorused the Howmei girls.

"Me too," said Mrs. Howmei.

"Heh… that brat's going to have to be really sneaky to get rid of us," smirked Seiya.

...

"Wow…! This is so cool!" said Eiji, "Not only is Ochibi is on the ship but also we're in space…"

"We're not here to play," said Syuichiroh.

"Awww… but it's so cool!" whined Eiji.

"Do any of you know which room Echizen might be?" asked Seiichi, "I wanted to visit him…"

"Wasn't he suppose to be sleeping?" asked Yuushi.

"Maybe we should visit him when he's awake," said Syuichiroh, "We don't want to disturb whet little sleep he's had so far…"

"Sa… but so far, when he's wake he's been busier than a bee…" said Syuusuke.

"We shouldn't disturb him," said Kunimitsu.

"That's only you for your team," smirked Keigo, "I'm going to find that brat…"

After hours of searching they were al unable to find him, "That brat sure knows how to play hide and seek…"

...

Days went by and they haven't seen the boy at all and they also were in for a surprise.

"Eh… I'm flying!" exclaimed as Eiji realised that his feet were no longer on the floor.

"Its zero gravity," said Jun as he floated passed them.

"Where's Ochibi?" asked Eiji.

"Probably on the bridge," said Jun without realising what he said.

"Shouldn't we be on the bridge too?" asked Seiichi, "After all we're supposed to be communications and systems operators. They all went to the bridge…

"You're late," stated Ryoma, without turning around, "You're not exactly supposed to leave without telling someone to replace you…"

"Sorry we didn't know…" said Syuusuke cheerfully.

"Mr. Yuuta… Your brother's back," said Ryoma. "I'm sure he'll be happy to take over for you…"

"Ah… I think I'm fine," said Yuuta with a nervous laugh.

"Where's the captain?" asked Araragi as he appeared on screen.

"On a coffee break," said Ryoma.

"Ah… we meet again," grinned Araragi, "You are looking more splendid as ever…"

"I assure you the feelings mutual," said Ryoma.

"However I'm sure you understand that we don't think so…" said Araragi charmingly, "Such a beauty in the middle of space…Although this is our first meeting I'm sure this friendship will blossom…"

"I think I'll just go look for Mr. Jun personally," said Ryoma as he stood up.

"Such a cute child," sighed Araragi. Everyone on the bridge just sweat dropped and felt like backing away.

"Captain Araragi, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" asked Jun as he appeared.

"Eh… the child didn't come back… I've been informed that my fleet should stay with Nadesico for a while…" said Araragi. "Please relay the message to the cute boy too…"

"That's nice… I'm sure to pass the message to Ryoma," said Jun with a sigh and the screen disappeared, "and say that a fool sent it… more trouble…"

Another screen appeared, "Jun…"

"Admiral Misumaru…!" exclaimed Jun.

"Hello… I'm sure your wondering why I'm calling…" said Admiral Misumaru, "It seems there's a few on your crew that seems to be complaining about your leadership as a captain or in your case an acting captain…"

"But sir… you know that the real captain is unable to take charge due to the fact we haven't even reached the check point…" said Jun.

"Indeed…" said Admiral Misumaru, "However we have to abide by their wishes…"

"Please don't tell me that…" started Jun.

"Yes… another competition for leadership," said Prospector and showed the poster, as he popped up on screen.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Jun.

"I'm sure it isn't but this will allow everyone to understand the concept of how we've done this…" grinned Admiral Misumaru.

"We've sent a copy to everyone about Yurika's performance," said Admiral Akiyama.

"What…! Surely not everyone," said Jun, "Please leave out the original crew… they don't want to be reminded…"

"It's too late…" said Admiral Akiyama, "Sorry kid…"

"This is seriously not good," said Jun, as all the screens disappeared.

...

"Wow… is this how the captain was chosen?" grinned Saburota as he watched the video. (A/N: it's a strange pageant where those who want to be captain, sing or dance or do something spectacular… then strip to their swimwear… popularity contest more than show of captainship… though it's funny in some ways…)

Seiya didn't look very pleased about the situation, and shook his head…

...

Inez looked at the screen and let a memory come back, while she picked up her glass of scotch, "Is this a sign…?"

...

"We can't let this happen," said a girl, "Mrs. Howmei… we can't allow the ship to be commanded by an inexperienced person…"

"I know…" said Mrs. Howmei, "This is fate it seems…"

"Can I get a pack of Ponta?" asked Ryoma.

"Going for captain?" asked a Howmei girl when she handed him a twelve pack.

"Why…? I don't see the point of me trying for captain…" said Ryoma and walked away.

The Howmei girls sighed, and shared a look, "What about we win? Then we could hand it back to them…"

"Can we win?" asked Mrs. Howmei.

...

"Sa… Tezuka… I think it would be good for you to try…" said Syuusuke.

Seiichi smiled, "We should all try…"

"What about Ochibi… he might win!" said Eiji, "He looks like he knows everything too…"

"Speak of the devil," said Wakashi, "There's the brat now…"

Ryoma walked out of the kitchen with a twelve pack of Ponta and walked passed them, his face showed nothing.

"Seriously, that kid looks scarier than ever," said Ryou.

"Let's follow him," said Seiichi and so they did. They followed the young boy to a room that was filled with greenery, an altered reality. They watched behind the bushes as the boy plopped himself down on the grass and proceeded to drink Ponta; one after the other.

"Is it really safe for him to drink so many cans?" asked Bunta, "I know I have a sweet tooth… but he takes the cake…"

"Didn't I tell you to invite me along for your drinking spree?" asked Jun as he appeared.

"I didn't think you were free," shrugged Ryoma as he opened his fifth can.

Jun sat down next to the boy, and picked up a can, "Did you receive a video?"

"No… I haven't checked my inbox… should I?" asked Ryoma.

"No… I guess that's a good thing," said Jun, "You know binging on Ponta isn't exactly good for you?"

"I know…" said Ryoma.

There was silence, a quiet silence…

"Are you entering the competition?" asked Jun.

"It's a waste of time…" said Ryoma, "Even after the announcement is made; I doubt that the whole crew would be happy with the decision… who'd want to follow the commands of someone that looks like a civilian…?"

"Aye… however to allow an inexperienced person to captain the ship is pretty bad…" said Jun. "Admiral Misumaru, Ms. Inez, Commander Araragi and Prospector are apparently the judges…"

"Even better," said Ryoma, "Omoikane informed me that Commander Araragi is somehow still going to be around for the duration of our stay until the checkpoint is reached…"

"Aye… I was supposed to relay the message," said Jun, "Are you still thinking of them?"

"As long as there are stars in the sky," said Ryoma.

"Everyone would want you to move on," said Jun.

"Not until the mission is over," said Ryoma.

"I can't stop you then," said Jun, "I'm not your guardian, and so I can't tell you what to do… however as a friend… allow me to help you…"

"Thank you," said Ryoma, "But right now, we're all a bunch of fools…"

Jun laughed, "That's not very nice to say…"

**There's chapter 6... was the chapter outrageous?? lol... Ryoma's captain!! wee!! fun!! hope this sends properly... i've been having so much bad luck today... first with the train and let's hope the school comp is being nice and doesn't muck up this... yes...still have no net at home... usually do all the research at school while i'm on fanfiction at the same time... (pretty naughty of me i know)... thanks for reading!! love you all heaps!!  
****Next chapter: the captain competition… the enemy… a secret revealed… Amaterasu… and Genichiroh…**


	8. Chapter 7

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

****

Disclaimer: as you all know... i don't own Nadesico or Prince of Tennis... if i did i probably be losing fans for the two of them... lol...

panic mode now!! i've got an exam this Wednesday... really bad... but the thing is that this was looming around my head so i couldn't study... thought i'd get this out of my system before the exam period... lol... not sure when my next update would be though... oh... also... i've figured something out about the story... and i think you'll all probably kill me for this... there will be a death... well a few if you include some others... no... not this chapter... in the last few... 13 or 14... i think... just thought i'd give you the heads up... but anyways... thank you for all the reviews!! mmade me feel so loved!! Hugs and kisses all round!! hope this chapter is good... enjoy!!

**Chapter 7**

"So… Ryoma decided not to enter?" asked Mrs. Howmei, "I guess that would sort of be a relief… we don't need to stress the kid… however, Jun, as acting Captain you should enter…"

"However, it looks as if it pretty grime for us," said Inez.

"There might be a mutiny if it doesn't go their way," said Seiya.

"But there's no other way…" said Jun.

"We'll just have to see how it goes," said Inez.

...

Everyone watched as once by one people went up to preform, showing off their skill in singing and showcasing themselves in swimsuits. Ryoma was in his quarters reading and listening to the music and commentaries. He then suddenly looked up and closed his book…

"My… my… this is turning out to be fun," said Araragi, from his seat at the judges table with a smirk on his face.

"Mostly males," said Admiral Misumaru on screen, "Which is somewhat a disappointment… I really didn't want to see them in Speedos…"

"Isn't anyone looking after the bridge?" asked Ryoma as he appear on screen dressed in his casual wear.

"Why…? We don't take orders until a captain is decided," said a man.

"Enemy 5 kilometres away," said Ryoma, "Will no one take that seriously…?"

Jun stood up, as did Mrs. Howmei, the Howmei girls, Seiya and Inez and they rushed out the door.

"Lieutenant Takasugi," said Ryoma as the screen turned to look at Saburota, "Please go to your Aestivalis…"

"But I'm sure nothing is wrong," said Saburota.

"Mr. Saburota," said Ryoma, "The enemy continues to come closer, if you cannot follow orders and are unable to protect the Nadesico then what is the point of protection? You would not be able to protect your charge… and that would mean that you failed your mission…"

The regulars just stared as they found this the longest sentence they've ever heard from the freshman.

"I going…" said Saburota in a whine, "do you have to get so technical…?"

The regulars made a move to leave as well however they were blocked by other men, "We don't follow orders until we have a new captain."

"It seems I can't get out either," said Saburota seriously.

"If you don't allow them to get out then I won't allow anyone out," said Ryoma seriously.

"Omoikane… please lock the door… Mr. Jun please take care of the ship," said Ryoma, he then turned away and disappeared from screen.

"Where's the kid going?" asked Araragi.

"Seems that the child is going to pilot the Aestivalis," said Prospector.

"But Ochibi doesn't have that tattoo thing," said Eiji.

"It's IFS…" muttered Hari.

"On the contrary," said Admiral Misumaru, "That kid has the ability to hide it… not to mention Ryoma is after all was the inventor of the little chip that Mr. Akaya Kirihara had. Ryoma doesn't have an IFS like everyone else but much similar…"

"The magic of it is that he's only appears when he's controlling a computer," said Prospector with a smile.

"Darn… they really did lock the door," cursed a man as he tried to open the door.

"Then the kid was no ordinary kid," grinned Saburota.

"I don't think this is the time to be having fun," said Hari, "We're still stuck here…"

"You're the computer wiz… can't you unlock the door?" asked Saburota.

"Omoikane isn't allowing me to," said Hari. "He's overriding ever command I send…"

"Then the computer seems to be listening to that kid more than it listens to the back up systems operator," said Araragi, as he folder his arms in wonder.

"Hari may be good, however he does not have the capacity to control all systems as that kid does," said Admiral Misumaru.

"I want to know what's going on out there!" exclaimed Eiji.

"Echizen has taken ten enemy Aestivalis out of commission," said Hari from his computer. "He's moving onto the last one… so far there are no deaths…"

"Hows that possible?" asked Saburota with a frown, "He's not exactly an experienced pilot…? I guess they didn't need our help…"

"No kills…?" whistled Admiral Misumaru from his screen, "It seems the child's skills are even surpassing the pilots themselves…"

"AH… he's heading back," said Hari.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Jun as he appeared on screen.

"Let us out of here!" shouted a man.

"Sorry but I can't… Omoikane doesn't allow mutiny on the ship…" said Jun.

"Who said it was mutiny?" asked a man. "WE simply cannot follow an incompetent leader that even allows a kid to take charge…"

"I believe I'm of higher rank than you," said Ryoma as the door slid open.

"Higher rank…? You…?" laughed the man as he walked over to him and towered over him, hoping to intimidate him.

"Actually… that's correct," said Prospector.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" asked another man.

"If it's a fight you want then by all means…" said Ryoma. "However, I should warn you that I have a few weapons on me…"

"Keh… yeah right," said a man. "Alright show us what type of weapons you have on you?"

Ryoma reached into his pocket and pulled out two guns, he flicked his hand out and five knives came out and embedded into the ground. He pulled out three guns from behind him. He pulled out a rolled up cloth and unrolled it and revealed more weapons. Slowly the weapons began to pile up and everyone watched in amazement as the twelve year old continued to pull out weapons. The men you were planning to scare the kid started to sweat. They all started to wonder how a small kid like Ryoma could conceal so many weapons on himself…

Ryoma pulled out one last gun from his leg, "I think that's all… would you like to show me your weapons?"

"N… No… I'm sure it's fine," stuttered the men as he eyed the pile of weapons before eying Ryoma.

"Who the hell are you?" asked another man.

Ryoma straightened his posture, "I think it's the end of running away now…"

The people on the bridge looked on, and watched the screen.

"Yes… I think it's time," said Jun with a smile.

"I'm the captain of the ship," said Ryoma.

"What…!" exclaimed everyone.

"Mr. Jun was supposed to be the acting captain of the ship until we reached checkpoint one," said Ryoma, "however due to possible mutiny, I've had to reveal myself earlier…"

"That's impossible! You're too young to be captain!" exclaimed a man.

"I'm too young to do many things but I still do them," said Ryoma, "Some of us are still at the age of being still in school and we still have to fight a war… are we not too young as well?"

"That's…" started a man.

"That's not the same thing…?" finished Ryoma, "oh but it is…"

"If any of you would like to leave the war, please do so now," said Ryoma, "From this point it will be the point of no return…"

With that said he walked out.

...

"Not exactly what I thought he would say… but it's a start," said Jun.

"Eh… I'm sorry I wasn't able to come to the bridge," apologised Hari as he came to the bridge also with the regulars, "My behaviour was out of line and I promise it won't happen again…"

"We also want to apologise," said the regulars.

"You should apologise to the captain," said Jun, "He after all was watching what was happening on the sidelines…"

"Are the others going back to work?" asked Jun.

"I think the kid scared them," said Saburota, "Where is he anyways?"

"Where's the pretty, cute boy?" asked Araragi as he came onto the bridge.

"The pretty, cute boy…?" asked everyone.

"Yes… Ryoma Echizen, the ring of his name gives me Goosebumps and makes my heart pump like Ruri Hoshino, the Cybernetic Fairy" said Araragi as his eyes glittered.

"I think he would appreciate it if you go back to your ship," said Jun, "After all there may be enemy ships coming around."

"Fine…" said Araragi with a sigh and left.

Ten minutes later Ryoma appeared on deck, "Sorry I'm late…"

"Captain," said Jun with a salute. "I'm sorry that this got out of hand and you were supposed to take over at the checkpoint…"

"Its fine," said Ryoma and took his seat in the chair, "The enemy now knows our position… we will have to skip the checkpoint…"

"Err… Captain…" said Hari, "About what happened…"

"You have no need to apologise," said Ryoma, "However we need to continue with our journey…"

"Of course," said Hari.

Ryoma looked over at the regulars, "I believe you need to get to work…"

They all scattered and went to their stations, "What a bunch of fools… please set course to terminal colony Takiri…"

"Yes… sir…" said everyone, after an hour of travelling they reached their destination.

"Confirming the terminal colony Takiri dead ahead," said Yuuta.

"What is that?" asked Keigo, as he saw a strange, huge rosebud like thing ahead of them that started to open… they could see the strange warped colours of visible energy in the middle of the open rosebud.

"A Chulip portal," said Jun.

"What's it used for…?" asked Seiichi.

"You'll see," said Jun.

"Increasing distortion field to maximum power," said Saburota from his window bowl.

"Confirming route," said Hari, "Takiri to Sayori to Tagitsu to final destination Amaterasu."

"Rising optical barrier," said Syuusuke.

"All hands please go through final check procedures," ordered Ryoma.

"Closing all communication links," said Kunimitsu.

"Err... living quarters ready for jump," said Seiichi.

"Energy systems are ready to go," said Hari.

"Ship alert status pattern B…"

"No abnormalities in field output…"

"Everything checks out A-okay," said Saburota.

During all this screens started to appears and the last one appeared as a sign saying 'Good Job…' from Omoikane.

"Fermion to boson conversion proceeding normally," said Hari.

"All deck condition Green," said Jun.

"Increasing intensity level…" said Hari.

"Okay let's go," said Ryoma, as they went through the portal.

"Welcome to jump gate Amaterasu," said a visual robot on screen.

"This is the fourth fleet of the United Earth Space Fleet, Nadesico C," said Ryoma, "We are making a request for navigational assistance to the Amaterasu…"

"Acknowledged," said the robot.

"Navigation System, connecting to Amaterasu," said Ryoma, "Requesting guidance to parking and docking…"

"Acknowledged…"

"He really knows how to command a ship," whispered Yuuta.

...

"We weren't expecting you for another week," greeted a man with long hair. "It's been a while Ryoma Echizen, isn't it…?"

Ryoma shook hands with him, "Yes it has, Mr. Genichiroh…"

"Ochibi is really polite," whispered Eiji in amazement and everyone just nodded in agreement.

"Is there a reason why we have no confirmation of you arriving at checkpoint 1?" asked former Jovian Commander Genichiroh Tsukuomi.

"The Enemy seemed to have known we were heading that way and we also went through some problems on the ship…" said Ryoma.

"So I've heard…" said Genichiroh.

"I feel that we have forgotten something…" said Ryoma out of the blue.

"I heard from Admiral Misumaru that another fleet was coming with you," said Genichiroh.

"That must be it…" said Ryoma, "We've forgotten Mr. Araragi…"

"He realises that now…?" laughed Seiya, "Although I don't actually mind, that man can look after himself…"

"Not to fear… we are here!" announced Araragi as he made his grand entrance.

"Is he really part of your crew?" asked Genichiroh.

"He has his own fleet, however I'd be happy if you would like to swap places with him if we continue on with the mission," said Ryoma bluntly.

"I'm sure he doesn't seem so bad," smiled Genichiroh.

"You are truly a remarkable Pretty, Cute Boy," said Araragi, "You skills as an Aestivalis pilot were superb…"

Everyone just sweat dropped, and Araragi and his crew continued to shower praise towards Ryoma and take photos.

"I'll see what I can do," said Genichiroh.

"Thank you," said Ryoma and followed Genichiroh and Jun to the meeting room. Fortunately Araragi was not allowed to follow.

"What do you think?" asked Genichiroh.

"There may still be a spy," said Jun.

"However we do not have the time to screen out everyone to see who is the spy," reminded Ryoma.

"That is a possibility," said Genichiroh, "However there is also the matter of business with who really is our enemy…"

"Yes… They currently still have the Nadesico under their control," said Ryoma, "However; I think they only recently discovered that Omoikane is not with them…"

"Yes… there seems to have been an increase of their activity," agreed Genichiroh.

"We cannot just go on without a plan," said Ryoma, "However I believe that they might strike this place next…"

"Indeed… please rest for a while and prepare your ship," said Genichiroh, "Do not bother going to the next few checkpoints and head to the colony before heading straight to Mars…"

"I agree," said Ryoma.

"How are we going to do that?" asked Jun, "It's going to be hard to get to Mars undetected…"

"That is our only option," said Ryoma.

"I think we could find Commander Araragi useful," said Genichiroh, "He'll act as a decoy…"

**There's the chapter!! Araragi is a strange dude... a 'pretty boy' in the Nadesico movie... but a bit strange still... how was it?? weird? okay? could be better?... oh wellz... i tried...  
Next time: a talk… stairs running… anniversary… standing down… collapsing… the story… and more vagueness…**


	9. Chapter 8

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**yes!! one exam out of the way!! however i'm not sure if it was good!! but i thought i'd better update this before you all run away and abandon me... lol... i'm joking... i thought i'd celebrate in a way with something that relaxes me... hope it doesn't seem alright... it's not very detailed but anyways... Thanks for the review!! love you all heaps!! hugs and kisses!! enjoy the story!! beware of weirdness...**

**Chapter 8**

"Ochibi…!" called Eiji, "Come over here… Ochibi needs to spend more time with me!"

"Go over to your friends," said Jun smiled, "I'm sure they were worried about you for a while now…"

"Okay…" said Ryoma, and handed Jun some files and walked over to the regulars. "Is there something you needed?"

"Ochibi is being mean…" whined Eiji as he hugged the boy.

"I don't recall insulting you," said Ryoma.

"Nyah…! Ochibi hasn't been spending time with us!" said Eiji.

"I was busy," said Ryoma.

"You didn't tell us what was going on," pointed out Takeshi.

"It was a secret," said Ryoma.

"…"

"Would you like to play twenty questions?" asked Inui with a grin.

"If I said no, would it matter?" asked Ryoma.

"It would," said Inui.

"You're lying," said Ryoma, "You can drink the penalty…"

'Bad idea,' thought everyone as they laughed nervously.

"Sa… Ryoma-kun…" smiled Syuusuke, "Was there a time that you ever lied to us?"

"Yes…" said Ryoma.

"Wow… he's honest," whispered Bunta.

"When was the first time be?" asked Syuusuke.

"The first day you met me," said Ryoma.

Everyone gapped; they could not believe that Ryoma had lied to them at their first meeting.

"Considering the first lie was where I came from and my name," said Ryoma and everyone realised that was true.

"You're name?" asked Syuusuke, "If your name isn't Ryoma Echizen… then what is it?"

"I'm unable to divulge anything to you at this point," said Ryoma formally.

"Is this a game or an interrogation?" asked Ryoma.

"Game," said Takeshi.

"Your drinking next," said Ryoma. They all sweat dropped; they knew they had to play it safe.

"Who are you really?" asked Akaya.

"The captain of the ship Nadesico," said Ryoma.

"…"

"If you want to ask something, ask straight out," said Ryoma.

"Sa… Why are you involved?" asked Seiichi.

"Because my friends and family are involved in this," said Ryoma. "I can not and will not allow them to continue to terrorise this universe… not during this lifetime of mine…"

"But…" started Yuushi, however…

"Ryoma, its lunch time!" called out a girl, "Come on…! We tried to make the ramen special for you!"

"Excuse me…" said Ryoma and walked away.

"How is it someone as young as him, get sucked into this mess?" questioned Seiichi.

"He was born into it," said Genichiroh from behind them.

"Born into it?" asked Yuushi.

"He's similar to Hari," said Genichiroh, "however their pasts are completely different and as you can see their personalities as well… as his friends, just trust him…"

All anyone could do was just stare, as Genichiroh joined Ryoma in a casual conversation with the old crew of the Nadesico.

...

"Ryoma… are you sure you're alright?" asked Jun, "You're looking more pale than usual…"

"I'm fine…" said Ryoma, "I just have a headache…"

"Are you sure?" asked Jun.

"I assure you that I'm fine," said Ryoma. "It's not like I'm not dying…"

"Go to bed… if that headache doesn't go away by the time you wake up then Ms. Inez might have to see what's wrong," said Jun.

"I'm just more tired…" said Ryoma.

"You sure…?" asked Jun.

Ryoma offered a small smile to him, "I think I'll take the stairs… I could do with the exercise…"

"Oh… Okay…" said Jun. "Have fun with the exercise…"

But Jun could not get rid of the worry on his face as he watched Ryoma walk off.

...

"What are you doing?" asked Yuuta, as he walked down the stairs and watched as Ryoma run past him a third time.

"Exercise," said Ryoma as he run up the steps two by two.

Yuuta thought nothing of it and continued walking down.

"Yuuta… have you seem Ryoma?" asked Jun.

"Yeah… he's in the stair-well…" said Yuuta.

"Still…?" and Jun rushed up the stairs, Yuuta followed and they found Ryoma breathing hard and sweating. He was sitting on the top step and his hands were on his leg.

"Ryoma… what's going on?" asked Jun, "What wrong…?"

"I think you'll have to captain the ship," said Ryoma as he looked up to him with piercing eyes.

"I'm unfit to command the ship," said Ryoma, "At least not right now…"

"What's going on?" asked Seiichi as he and the other regulars came into the stair-well.

Jun and Ryoma continued looking at each other. Jun looked away first, "If you can't talk to me, then talk to Ms. Inez…"

"It's not something that's easily said," informed Ryoma, "I assure you that it's not the matter of who I would be willing to talk to…"

"However, if it interferes with the mission, I have to know what it is," said Jun.

"It won't," said Ryoma.

"How…" started Jun.

"Because I'm not going on the mission," said Ryoma, as he stood up, "I'm pulling myself out of the mission…"

Ryoma walked away, "I'll be the other decoy…"

Jun stood there for a moment before punching a dent in the wall beside him, "Damn it!"

The regulars just watched on clueless-ly.

...

Ryoma sat in bed; head leaning against the wall, knees drawn to the chest with his arms wrapped around them and eyes glued to the ceiling. Flashes of the old Nadesico crew, his mother and father, aunty, uncle and cousin appeared in her mind. A lone tear came from his eye, 'Sorry…'

...

"And those were the kid's exact words?" asked Seiya.

"That doesn't sound right," said Mrs. Howmei. "Ryoma would have gone through with it to the bitter end…"

"Has anyone seen the Captain?" asked Saburota, as he walked up to them.

"Probably in his room," said Jun.

"Does that mean I get to stay in the same room as him?" grinned Saburota.

"Shut up you pervert," said Jun.

"Sorry," said Saburota, with his hands up in defeat, and walked away.

"That was a bit harsh," said Mrs. Howmei.

"Sorry… it's just frustrating," said Jun.

"What is this I hear about Captain Ryoma standing down?" asked Genichiroh.

"Exactly what you heard," said Jun.

"He cannot back down so late into the mission," said Genichiroh, "Even if he wanted to… he's stuck in this mission. And apparently the Nadesico has to part in three hours."

"We'll have to see him and tell him that then," said Mrs. Howmei.

"Oi… The kid's isn't in his rooms," said Saburota as he came back.

"Stair well…" said Jun and made his way there, sure enough, Ryoma was at the top asleep with five empty cans of Ponta. His forehead was sweating furiously. In his lap were three pictures…

"He isn't taking it well…" said Mrs. Howmei.

"It's their anniversary," said Jun in realisation. "Today was the days when everything happened…"

"How could I have been so stupid!" cursed Jun, "He must really think that we don't care about them…"

"I doubt it," said Inez, "He's not the type… he is strangely understanding for a person as young as he is…"

"That could have been the reason to his resolve," said Seiya, "It was a spur of the moment because of today…"

"No…" said Jun, "His eyes were dead serious…"

"Then what will we do about it?" asked Mrs. Howmei.

...

Ryoma woke up the sound of running water. He looked up at the ceiling and knew he was on the Nadesico and he continued staring up at the ceiling as the other person came out of the bathroom.

"How are you feeling?" asked Jun. There was no reply. "You can't exactly hate me for not allowing you to get out of this mission…"

Still there was no reply. Jun sighed, "You are expected on the bridge in two hours… no excuses…"

Ryoma walked out without a word. He said nothing as he passed a couple of the regulars who greeted him. He continued to walk as his name was called as if he didn't hear it. He didn't speak or acknowledge anyone and his movements were brisk however sluggish.

**Three Hours later…**

"The captain still isn't here," said Hari.

"Apparently he forgot," said Jun and went off to get him. He neared the room which he shared and was just in time to see Ryoma round the corner. He followed him and frowned as he watched the boy walk with his hand on the wall as if he was being supported by it. Jun rushed forward as he staggered and fell backwards. "Hey, what's wrong?"

There was no answer and he looked down to see that he was unconscious.

"Someone, call Ms. Inez!" shouted Jun.

Yuuta, who was once again there, immediately did what he was asked and passed a few regulars on the way who somehow took it as 'follow the leader'.

"What's going on?" asked Takeshi.

"Echizen… I mean the Captain collapsed," said Yuuta as they ran all the way to Ms. Inez.

"What can I do to help you boys?" asked Inez from her desk.

"Ms. Fressange, Commander Aoi urgently needs your help," said Yuuta and he burst through the door, "The captain collapsed…"

Inez immediately stood up and disappeared right in front of their eyes. "Where the hell did she go??"

...

"How is he?" asked Jun as Ms. Inez sighed.

"Considering everything that has happened… he's strangely fine…" said Inez. "Would you like the good news or bad…?"

"There're two?" asked Eiji. "Meaning good and bad, meaning happy and sad…?"

"Indeed… however, I would like to talk about this to Jun only," said Inez.

"But we're his friends," said Syuichiroh.

"This isn't something that he would want everyone to know about," said Inez.

"However if you do want to know something," said Inez and the regulars all waited in anticipation, "he's doing very well… and he said something…?"

"The kid said something?" asked Keigo.

"He said 'get back to work'…" said Inez and they all sweat dropped.

"You called?" asked Genichiroh as he came in, "My… this must be serious if he's connected to all that… this is the first time he's ever been sick isn't it?"

"Tsukuomi, I want you to take command of the ship for a while," said Jun.

"I take it that you feel partially responsible," said Genichiroh.

"I shouldn't have forced him to go to the bridge…" said Jun as he sat in the chair next to Ryoma and was very distressed.

"Do you even know what's wrong with him?" asked Genichiroh.

"Whatever it is… he collapsed because of me…" said Jun.

...

"Is Ochibi going to be alright?" asked Eiji.

"I'm sure he will be," said Genichiroh as they walked out of the room. "It may be the first time he's sick but that does not mean that he won't overcome it…"

"The original Nadesico crew… how did they…?" asked Seiichi.

"It's rather typical really... at the beginning at least," began Genichiroh. "Nadesico was considered the ultimate battleship… the unstoppable… the enemy wanted it. The captain, knew they couldn't run any longer… evacuated most of the people on the ship."

"However a few remained," said the former Jovian Commander, "Commander Aoi was ordered to make sure the evacuees reached safety… from what I've heard the Nadesico was caught and taken to a space station. They cuffed them and tied them to chairs. They were burnt when they left…"

"Burnt..?" asked Kunimitsu.

"They were tied behind the ship, in front of the boosters," said Genichiroh, " they were burnt alive when they took off with the Nadesico…"

"!"

"It's been a year since that incident," said Genichiroh.

...

"That is probably the reason why he's been running up and down those steps," said Inez, "However, the strain of it causes him headaches and today everything just collapsed…"

"Does that mean he knew this was going to happen?" asked Jun, "He removed himself out of the mission because he knew he was unfit and could compromise the mission?"

"That is my theory," said Inez, "That is not to say that he won't be the same ever again…"

Jun took Ryoma's hand into his and held it, "I'm sorry…"

**there you go... chapter 8... how was it? slightly strange?? okay...? confusing?? i can't promise that i'll be updating this week or next... but i'll try... (if the exams don't get to me first... sweat drop...) i won't put anymore clues about the next few chapters... cos... these next ones are a bit... straight forwards in a way... (more like it'll give away the ending...) okay... umm... hope to see you next time when i update!! lol... hugs and kisses!!**


	10. Chapter 9

Galaxy of Stars

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**OMG!! i feel brain dead!! i spent all day yesterday typing up my exam prep so i could remember... i think i fried my brain... arg!! never trust the teacher on what they say to study or what they'll put on the exam!! arg!! everything you don't study's usually on it!! lol... well enough about that part... more vagueness to come!! and if anyone didn't get my message about the vagueness of the current incoming chapters... it's just to throw people off the plot... lol... nah... it's sort of to not give to many clues out... but then again i won't be surprised if someone knows what'll happen next... lol... thanks for all the review!! i love you all heaps!! hugs and kisses!!**

**Chapter 9**

"He's been with him for two days already," said Akaya. "You would expect the brat to wake up by now…"

The regulars peeked into the medical room and watched as Jun continued holding Ryoma's hand and looked as if he was praying for him to wake up.

"Mr. Jun… get back to work," breathed Ryoma. All the regulars rushed in as they too heard those words…

"Echizen…" said Syuichiroh, "Don't push yourself…"

"You need to increase the speed," breathed Ryoma as she opened his eyes slowly and adjusted to the lights.

"But…"

"The enemy is catching up…" said Ryoma, they immediately dispersed and left Inez with Ryoma.

"How are you feeling?" asked Inez.

"Strangely calm," said Ryoma.

"Yes… I agree… strange is right…" said Inez. "Your going to be alright…"

"Will you be doing a jump?" asked Ryoma.

"We'll have to see how much time we have," said Inez.

"Yes… the amount of time we have," said Ryoma and looked up at the ceiling.

"You scared him you know?" said Inez.

"I was hoping I wouldn't exactly be on board when it happened," said Ryoma.

"Too late…" said Inez, "By now I think the others will be taking extra careful care of you now."

"Not that you wanted it," added Inez with a smile.

...

"The captain's alright?" asked Genichiroh as they speed up.

"He seems relaxed," said Jun.

"Relaxed…?" asked Genichiroh.

"Like he found his inner peace," said Jun.

"…"

"Sir, an incoming message from Commander Araragi's fleet," informed Yuuta.

"Patch him in," said Jun.

"Hello…" greeted Nagare. "I guess you could say this is destiny…"

"What happened to Araragi?" asked Jun.

"Oh him…? He's at the back checking out the cells," said Nagare.

"I knew the alliance was a set up," glared Jun.

"Where's your weapons master?" asked Nagare, "I'm sure he wouldn't have been surprised… after all I get the vibes that he never liked me…"

"Oh wait… or should I say Ryoma Echizen…?" asked Nagare.

"Nagare Akatsuki, what a pleasant surprise," greeted Inez as she stepped onto the bridge.

"It seems there's a survivor," said Nagare. "But I don't know how long that will last… after all this is only about Omoikane…"

"You don't want to die for the sake of a computer do you?" asked Nagare in a pitiful voice. The picture broke up and disappeared but they did not miss the surprised look on Nagare's face.

Another screen appeared that read, "Transfer complete…"

"What transfer?" asked Jun.

"A file was transferred from the medic lab to their fleet," said Hari.

"What file…?" asked Jun with a frown.

"A… A virus…!" said Hari in surprise.

"That should keep him busy for at least three hours," said Ryoma as he appeared on screen. "Anyone who does not want to be here can pull out…"

The screen disappeared and they were left with the lingering thought.

"This war is about a computer?" asked Syuusuke, they did not notice that this was being broadcasted in the entire ship.

"No… it's not any computer," said Inez, "Omoikane is Ruri's friend… she would rather die than allow it to be in their hands… they may have what they thought to be the ultimate ship however without Omoikane it is but a normal battleship… Ruri place Omoikane under Jun's care when she went with the Nadesico…"

"But is it really necessary to protect a computer?" asked Seiichi.

"Omoikane is alive," said Jun, "It's probably hard to understand but this is the most important thing in the world to Ruri… Omoikane can mean the continuation of humanity or the end…"

"It's that important…?" asked Hari.

"Of course not everyone can understand how Omoikane operates," said Inez, "Ruri, is the only one in the world that can completely connect directly to Omoikane… Hari may be able to connect to computers… however his knowledge does not extend as far as Ruri's…"

"Ultimately, Ruri and Omoikane combined are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with," said Inez.

"If they are that powerful then why could they not defeat the enemy the first time?" asked Keigo.

"She was not in charge at the time," said Jun, "Yurika was a capable captain… no one can deny that… however strategically she did not understand what should have been done… Ruri was only following orders… on another note: Ruri did win the competition to be the next captain however abstained because of personal issues…"

"She could have…" started Keigo, however…

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to close your communication links unless you want wide coverage?" asked Ryoma as he appear on screen and then disappeared.

"The entire ship seems to have heard your little discussion," said Saburota.

"I guess that means we have more people that are informed with the situation," said Hari

...

"Does that mean we're safe with this ship?" asked Eiji.

"It's seems like their implying that this the safest place to be at the moment," said Syuichiroh.

"I have no idea," said Takashi.

"Right now… Having Omoikane, means that this ship is the safest place you can be," said Mrs. Howmei. "The implication is correct…"

"Ryoma, won't allow anyone to die," assured one of the Howmei girls.

"After all… he's very caring…" said another.

"You sure he's caring?" asked Akaya.

"He's calculated in a way but he does it for our safety. And he'll protect Omoikane from being reprogrammed… you could say they have a connection…"

"He might be somewhat cold and distant, but he cares."

...

"Ruri and a computer… was an unstoppable pair?" thought Takeshi out loud, "I'm not exactly confidant about this either…"

"I'm sure it works in theory… however the chance of the two being unstoppable…" calculated Sadaharu.

"25," said Renji.

"You kids should be getting high nineties," said Seiya.

"Not a hundred percent?" asked Yuushi.

"No one can be completely unstoppable," said Seiya, "Inside forces can turn into traitors… also if hostages were also concerned…"

"But how was she unstoppable?" asked Genchiroh.

"You'll have too see why she's referred to as the cybernetic fairy…" laughed Seiya

"There's that word again…" said Wakashi.

...

"What do we know so far?" asked Jun. as the members of the crew sat for a meeting.

"All the enemy is located at Mars," said Syuusuke, "but Nagare Akatsuki no where to be found…"

"They seem to be protecting something that has large readings," said Seiichi.

"It's the ruins," said Jun, "an ancient secret to Boson jumping…"

"A ship similar to ours is also there," said Yuuta, "However the colour seems different…"

"They repainted the Nadesico it seems," said Inez.

"With the amount of soldiers there, I don't think we can do anything," said Bunta. "I mean we're sort of going to be like one against a thousand.

"We don't have enough pilots," agreed Masahora. "We're out numbered…"

"Even though we may have better skill, they have numbers," said Ryou.

"The original Nadesico crew only had four skilled Aestivalis pilots," said Seiya, "Even against a platoon we were still able to defeat them… size doesn't matter… we only had three people operating on deck too; the helmswoman, the communications officer and the systems operator…"

"Is that possible?" asked Hari.

"Ruri-Ruri controlled all the systems of the ship with Omoikane," said Seiya, "And even with so little people operating on the bridge we were able to fight the Jovians… No offence…"

"None taken," said Genichiroh.

"Ryoma can injure 20 people barehanded in ten minutes flat," said Inez, "He could have killed 30 people during that time if knives were included… 50 if guns were included…"

"I'm not sure if we can each handle 50 each," said Takeshi, "Maybe I can… but not all of us… Echizen has years of training to perfect that skill…"

"Incorrect," corrected Jun, "He learnt all that in 6 days… after a certain incident, he went into vigorous training by himself… non-stop training until he had perfected the skill…"

"You've all had instructors guiding you," said Jun, "Ryoma only had a screen to guide him, his whole life… He has had no one to correct him if he did something wrong and his whole life was dependant on his own skills and what he learnt on through technology…"

"So if something fails, he feels that he failed himself and humanity," said Inez.

Everyone didn't want to comment anymore in that area. However there were other areas to cover.

"What are we going to do there though?" asked Syuusuke.

"What do you mean?" asked Jun.

"What is the purpose coming all the way to Mars?" asked Syuusuke. "Is it revenge…?"

"To protect humanity," said Jun, "We cannot stand around as they control the planet…"

"Then how are we doing that?" asked Yuuta, "Destroy the enemy? Kill them all?"

"I don't think that's necessary," said a voice behind them. They all turned to look at the person who spoke up.

**Ohhh... who is it?? hmm... oh wellz... there's chapter 9... i'll update again in three days time... so i can collect my thoughts before i do an over kill... or i might update earlier... depends when i'm bothered to get a computer at school with the internet... oh wellz... thanks for reading!! love you heaps!! hugs and kisses!!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**Okay!! thanks for all the votes of confidence for my exams... i had positive energy around me while i was answering the questions!! here's chapter 10... hopefully it'll be alright... thanks for all the reviews!! i felt like crying because it made me feel so happy... those who have watched Nadesico will know that i pinch a scene... and sort of twisted it... lol... hope you enjoy reading this chapter... and any questions feel free to ask... love you all heaps!! hugs and kisses!!**

**Chapter 10**

They all turned to five men at the back holding guns, "Under Chairman Nagare Akatsuki, you are all ordered to stand down and cooperate…"

"Sir, the chef and the five girls are missing," said a man as run through the door, "The captain is also missing!"

"Sir…!" said another man as he rushed in, "It seems that a shuttle departed from the Nadesico, three hours ago…"

"What…!" exclaimed the man in charge.

"However there is a tracking device on the shuttle," said the man, "It's arrived at the Amada colony an hour ago…"

"We will go to that colony and retrieve the runners," said the man.

"Yes sir," saluted the men.

"I guess now we know who the traitors are," said Saburota.

"Shut up!" ordered the man.

"Err… sir…?"

"What?" asked the man.

"I don't think that's necessary… the ship seemed to be on auto pilot towards the colony…"

"Even easier then…" said the man.

...

"Hello… we met again," greeted Nagare. "My… my, doesn't this seem to be like déjà vu…?"

"This time I'm going to be taking the master key with me," said Nagare as he took the key out and pocketed it.

"Erina Won," said Inez as she saw a familiar Chinese looking woman walk in.

"It's been a while Fressange…" greeted Erina.

"Sir… there's a parcel that has arrived that is addressed to the Nadesico crew," said a man.

"Who's it from?" asked Nagare as he took the parcel and looked at it, "R.H Tenkamaru…"

"Let's see what this person would send you…" said Nagare as he opened the package and pulled out a Geki Ganger figurine however as soon as he picked it up smoke instantly filled the room.

"Everyone…! Make a run for it!" ordered Jun and the crew dispersed to all exits and fled into the colony.

"Was this a trap?" asked Erina.

"What the…" Nagare looked inside the box to see a note, "Happy early Christmas Nadesico!"

The figurine popped into streamers and confetti that blew every where. At the front of the box had a sticker that said 'Don't open until Christmas Eve…'

"We have no one to blame but ourselves for this," said Nagare.

...

"Mrs. Howmei…?" asked Jun in surprise as he entered a restaurant, "If you're here then does that mean…"

"No… Ryoma told us that we should split up…" said Mrs. Howmei. "I'm sure the Howmei girls are together though…"

...

"Oh… the perfect place to hide out!" cheered Saburota as he walked into a nightclub.

"I don't think we should hide in here," said Hari.

"You still following me kid?" asked Saburota.

...

"Nyah…! Are we far enough?" asked Eiji as they ran through the trees with the regulars.

"There a cottage up ahead!" said Yuushi.

"But what if someone is in there?" asked Syuichiroh.

"Who would live so far out from town?" asked Seiichi.

"I think there's someone already in there," said Bunta, "There's light…"

"Maybe if we ask politely we can stay," suggested Takashi.

"Do you think we can all fit in there?" asked Hiroshi.

"Sa… I guess we just have to see," said Syuusuke and they knocked the door. They heard strange movement going towards the door and the door slowly creaked open.

"Can I help you?" asked a girl dressed in pyjamas, sitting in a wheelchair. She had short black hair and they could see light brown eyes that were reflecting from the light in the cottage.

"Err… did we wake you?" asked Syuichiroh.

"I was about to turn in," said the girl, "Would you like to stay the night?"

"Is that alright?" asked Kunimitsu.

"It's not exactly safe to be out at night," said the girl as she wheeled back and allowed them to enter.

"Are you hungry? I could make you something," asked the girl, her voice was cute however it sounded uncaring in a way.

"Really?" asked Takeshi, Eiji, Bunta, Akaya and Jirou.

"There's instant ramen in the cupboard," said the girl and wheeled herself towards the storage room and came out with a box of instant ramen. She got out a big pot and poured water into the pot and placed it on the stove to boil.

"I hope were not imposing on you," said Seiichi.

"It's fine," said the girl.

"I know this might be improper to ask, but where are your parents?" asked Seiichi.

"I live by myself," said the girl.

"Sorry…"

...

"What's the status?" asked Nagare.

"With the number of escapees… we've found everyone except four," said Erina.

"Have you checked the ship?" asked Nagare, "One person was hiding on the ship last time…"

"We've checked," said Erina. "It's like he disappeared…"

"Mr. Weapons' Master probably playing dress up," said Nagare, "However the aestivalis pilot and back up systems operator and Fressange are also missing… they could be hiding in the same place.

"Ryoma's friends from school seemed to have thought that they can hide in the forest," laughed Erina, "However, it was a nice try…"

"So those junior high tennis players are all together and under surveillance," said Nagare, "They must be very talented…"

...

"Do we really have to work at a nightclub?" asked Hari.

"It's the most not obvious place to look for us," said Saburota, "and also there are so many gorgeous chicks here…"

"Aren't you supposed to be with your charge?" asked Hari.

"I could protect my charge if I saw her," said Saburota, "Right now I haven't seen the person I'm supposed to protect…"

"I guess…" said Hari, "But are we going to be here for the rest of our lives?"

"We'll have to see…" said Saburota.

...

"I wonder how Ryoma is going?" wondered Jun.

"I'm sure he's fine," said Mrs. Howmei. "I doubt that they were even able to find him…"

"But he isn't on the Nadesico," said Jun. "If that parcel never arrived then we might have never escaped…"

"Parcel…?" questioned Mrs. Howmei.

"Yeah… a parcel marked with a 'don't open til x-mas' sign…" said Jun. Then his eyes widened when he remembered the sender, "Tenkamaru… no way…"

...

"Here's your order sir," said a Howmei girl as she served a man his bowl.

"Thank you," said the man.

"I hope Ryoma is alright…" sighed another girl.

"He's captain… I'm sure he's fine," said another.

...

"It's the same old thing," sighed Seiya, "But the difference here is that my wife isn't here…"

"Is my car finished yet?" asked a man as he came in.

"Yeah… Yeah…" muttered Seiya.

...

"Ms. Tenkamaru… allow us to do that," said Kunimitsu.

"I'm fine with the dishes," said Tenkamaru and looked at the large pile. They got a good look of her this time since it was morning and noticed how her pitch black short hair was in pig tails which made her look very young. She seemed independent and well off. As days gone by they found her black hair seemed to have faded in colour and thought that their eyes must have been playing tricks on them.

"Its fine, it's our dishes we'll wash," said Masahora.

"If that's alright," said Tenkamaru, "Then I'll go into town for a while…"

"Would you like someone to go with you?" asked Keigo.

"I'm sure I'm not that weak," said Tenkamaru.

"I'm sure that's not what he meant," reasoned Syuichiroh.

"Were you the one who sent that parcel?" asked Sadaharu.

"It's was marked saying 'do not open until Christmas eve'," said Tenkamaru. "I hope you didn't open it… that would wreck the surprise…"

"Too late…" said Syuusuke.

"How did you know that the Nadesico came?" asked Genchiroh.

"Who said that I knew?" asked Tenkamaru, "I told the guard that 'if' the Nadesico came… please deliver it to them…"

"Thank you…" said Seiichi.

"You're welcome… but I'm not a hundred percent sure for what…"

...

"She's not normal…" said Yuushi.

"I agree," said Renji, "Although she's disabled she seems to be more than she is letting on…"

"Hey look she's even got her own laptop," said Choutarou and flipped it open. A compartment and the screen appeared that said 'password'.

"Leave this to me," grinned Sadaharu as he pulled out a small electronic box and connected it to the laptop.

"What is it, Nyah…?" asked Eiji.

"Password unscrambler," said Sadaharu, "It should be able to uncover the password for the laptop…"

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" asked Syuichiroh. "Isn't this wrong?"

"But she doesn't seem to be a normal girl," said Ryou, "What if she's the enemy…?"

"Access denied…" said the laptop, "Please try again…"

"That's illogical!" said Sadaharu, "This can unscramble any password…"

"Yes… I agree," said Renji, "This girl is definitely not normal…"

"How ever why is she all they way out here?" questioned Hiroshi.

...

Tenkamaru wheeled herself through town looking through shops and supermarket. That was until she bumped into Nagare.

"**Excuse me,"** muttered the girl.

"I'm sorry miss," apologised Nagare, "I should have watched where I was going… however being so short I guess some of the blame is yours as well…"

Tenkamaru rolled her eyes and backed up before evading Nagare, **"What ever…"**

"That's not very nice, Tenkamaru…" said Erina.

Tenkamaru stopped, and turned, **"If you have something to say then say it…"**

"She's talking in English… Err… **I think you… 24 fugitives… your house**," said Erina. **"You willing risk your home… protect them…?"**

"**Please clarify what you mean,"** requested Tenkamaru with a frown.

"A girl such as yourself should not be putting herself out to help others, especial if they're criminals…" said Nagare.

"**May I ask why it is your business who I invite into my home**?" asked Tenkamaru.

Nagare came behind her and wheeled her towards an alleyway, "I don't know what you're saying but… let's get straight to the chase…"

Tenkamaru pulled the breaks on her wheelchair, **"What do you think your doing? I assure you… if you would like to say something then say it in the open…"**

"We know that you know of the Nadesico…" said Erina, "We received your parcel…"

"**So… they helped build this colony**…" said Tenkamaru, and wheeled her chair back, **"Now let me go and allow me to complete my shopping… if you want to put my home under surveillance… then your breaking the privacy act…"**

"Jeez… I really should have listened during English class…" growled Erina in frustration.

"What's the rush? We're not done with you…" said Nagare, as he placed an arm around her shoulders.

"**I'm not interested in what you have to say,"** said Tenkamaru.

"Hey…! Let her go!" ordered Jun from behind them.

"My… My… what a surprise," grinned Nagare.

"Why the hell are you abusing a young disabled girl?" shouted Jun.

"For your information, she's hiding the group of junior high schoolers in your crew in her home," said Erina.

"We're just trying to explain to her about the seriousness of the situation," said Nagare.

"**And what's your point?"** asked Tenkamaru, **"It's not like they're planning to take over the world or something… get over it…"**

"Have no fear, Geki Ganger is here to save the day!" said a man in a mask and a Geki Ganger suit. Next to him was a short boy that was dressed up as a masked sidekick.

Nagare smirked, "We didn't mean any harm to the girl, and we just wanted to warn her about the trouble she might get into…"

Nagare and Erina walked away and left the masked men, Jun and Tenkamaru alone.

"**Are you alright miss?"** asked Geki Ganger, "Commander Jun… what are you doing here?"

"Eh…?" Jun looked carefully at the masked men they lifted the mask up before placing them back on. "Saburota… Hari…"

"**Are you alright miss?"** asked Jun.

"Perfectly fine," said Tenkamaru. "I really should head home now…"

"Wait… you speak Japanese? And is what they said true…?" asked Jun.

"I just wanted to see if they understood English…What part are you talking about?" asked Tenkamaru. "

"The junior high schoolers," said Jun.

"Yes… they arrived a few nights ago," said Tenkamaru.

"Could you pass them a note for me?" asked Jun.

...

"What if she's calling someone that we're here?" asked Bunta. "We should leave…"

"I'm sure a nice girl like here won't be like that," said Syuichiroh.

"I'm home," announced Tenkamaru. "I met someone on the way… he told me pass a message to you…"

"A message…?" asked Kunimitsu.

"Here," said Tenkamaru and handed him a origami folded paper. "I was bored when I went down hill…"

"Thank you…" said Kunimitsu and everyone surrounded him.

_Be careful… Nagare Akatsuki already has everyone under surveillance… please be extra careful as you are also putting this girl's life in danger too… As to how I know you are at her house, I found her being bullied by Nagare and Erina… they knew you were at her home. She stood up for you, so please mind your manners… I don't know anything about her; however I do know that you can trust her… Jun Aoi._

"She's good then…" said Yuushi.

They all turned to the girl who was working on her laptop, not knowing that they had touched it. And instantly they felt bad, she then went over to the stove to cook, while singing…

"Catching fishes… catching fishes… on a hook… on a hook," sang Tenkamaru. "Pull them from the water… put them in some batter… yum, yum, good… yum, yum, good…"

"I think we're having fish today," said Seiichi.

**Here we have it... chapter 10... Ryoma didn't have any lines in this chapter... sorry!! and i know you'll kill me but ryoma's lines won't be appearing for a while... there's a reason why i chose this crossover... i think the connection b/w the two animes will appear... in chapter 13... (i think)... i might update every two days... that way it'll be consistent... (hopefully there'll be a computer and internet)... thanks again for reading!! the count down begins!! four more chapters and a epilogue!! thanks for reading!! hugs and kisses!!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**YAY!! i updated!! however i have this weird feeling of forboding that this is a bit farfetched... lol... hmmm... tell me what you think... lol... anyways i recently started to watch an anime called la corda d'oro... omg... shizumi keiichi is so cute... and funny... anyways... thank you for all the cool reviews and encouragement... love you all ehaps and hope you like the chapter!! hugs and kisses!! oh... you find out about tenkamaru here... lol**

**Chapter 11**

Weeks had passed and Jun received a message from Omoikane about a possible raid from Nagare against the Nadesico crew.

"Mrs. Howmei, I think it's time we take action," said Jun.

"I think so too," said Mrs. Howmei. "I guess we can use the deliver truck as a means to of travel…"

"We have to somehow warn the others," said Jun, "Especially warn the girl who's been looking after Ryoma's school friends…"

"We could always take her with us if they intend to destroy her home," said Mrs. Howmei.

"I guess… she could help out with you or at communications…" said Jun.

"When is it then?" asked Mrs. Howmei.

"Tonight… we have to move tonight…" said Jun. "The only person we don't have the location of is Ryoma… and his communicator is down… even if it wasn't down the enemy could have been able to locate his and hear into our conversation."

"I'm sure he's fine," said Saburota, as he came out of the freezer in a dog suit. "He might be better off staying on this colony… he sounds like he's been through enough drama in his life…"

"I guess your right," said Jun, "He should live his life in peace… he deserves this at least… a normal life…"

...

"You should prepare to leave," said Tenkamaru. The regulars all turned to look at her, she just arrived back and those were first words as she entered…

"I guess we did over stay our welcome," said Seiichi.

"You all are still welcome here," said Tenkamaru, "However I overheard two men talking about a raid to arrest all the Nadesico crew… prepare to leave…"

"We should leave now," said Takeshi.

"No… the men overlooking the house will know…" said Tenkamaru, "Especially if you leave in a big group…"

"She's right," said Sadaharu.

"Psst…" they all turned to the side window to see Saburota dressed as a tree. They opened the window to allow him to enter.

"Miss… I know this is sort of bad for you to hear… but there's going to be a raid tonight… we're planning to arrest all of us…" said Saburota, "Thank you for your hospitality however there is a possibility that your also targeted because you've helped us…"

"I know…" said Tenkamaru. There was a knock on the door, "Please go to the bedroom, if something does not sound right… leave through the window…"

Tenkamaru waited for them to all be in the bedroom before she opened the door, **"May I help you…?"**

"**Yes… err… I'm sorry to ruin your night however you've been called into town for a doctor's appointment…"** said the man.

"**I don't recall having any appointments**," said Tenkamaru.

"**Yes… however this doctor said that he heard of your condition and thinks that he could make you walk again…"** said the man.

Tenkamaru look the paper and skimmed through it, **"Seven o'clock at night? Isn't that a bit late?"**

"**Dr. A is very busy,"** said the man, **"Please come…" (A/N: so not original)**

"**I guess I can… since I don't have plans for tonight…"** said Tenkamaru.

The door closed and the bedroom door opened, "I guess they plan for you not to know about the raid…"

"It doesn't matter either way…" said Tenkamaru, "They won't find anyone to arrest…"

"True…" said Saburota, "Commander Aoi is coming to us up here…"

"What about Ochibi?" asked Eiji.

"He deserves a normal life," said Saburota, "Commander decided that we should leave him be…"

"…"

"Who want's lunch?" asked Tenkamaru. "And then we could all have dinner before you all leave…"

"What are we having for lunch?" asked Takeshi.

"Sandwiches," said Tenkamaru. "We'll have ramen for dinner…"

...

"Thank you…" said Seiichi, "I hope we meet again…"

"I'm sure you will," said Tenkamaru. She placed her backpack on her lap and left the house.

"I forgot… I never got her name," said Saburota.

"She called herself Tenkamaru," said Syuusuke.

"The parcel sender?" asked Saburota in surprise.

"Yes… that was why we were weary of her at first…" said Yuushi.

"Well… our ride will be here in a few minutes," said Saburota.

Meanwhile with Tenkamaru she wheeled herself down the road and a ramen deliver truck passed her… she continued down as she near the town. She turned the corner and stopped in front of her destination. She looked at the building, everything was dark inside. The door was locked and the sign said it was closed.

"What a waste of time," muttered Tenkamaru.

...

"Come on!" called Jun, "Get on…"

Guns fired, as everyone got onto the delivery truck. Aestivalis' came out and started attacking as well.

"No…! Tenkamaru-chan's house!" called out Eiji as it was blown up and the house was engulfed in flames.

"Where's the girl?" asked Jun, as he kept swerving from side to side to avoid machine gun fire.

"She had an appointment apparently," said Saburota.

"Apparently…?" exclaimed Jun as he drove, "What do you mean!"

"She was called away for a doctor's appointment," said Saburota.

"It seems they didn't want her to be involved," said Jun and turned the steering wheel.

"Hey… be careful we don't have seat belts in here," called out Eiji from the back.

"I repeat! Give yourselves up and we will guarantee your safety!" said one of the men in the helicopters behind them in a megaphone.

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" asked Jun as he continued to drive.

"Maybe because their firing at us!" shouted Akaya.

"Liars! Liars! Liars! Liars!" shouted Eiji.

"Don't stop!" said Jirou.

"I'm not going to!" shouted Jun.

"We will guarantee your safety!" repeated the man, but continued to fire on them.

Jun looked determined as he drove through the military gates. He then skid to a stop at the docking bay. Everyone scrambled out of the truck and ran towards the entrance of the Nadesico.

"Okay… we made it to the Nadesico!" said Hari, "We can continue with our mission…"

The communications and systems officers rushed onto the bridge.

"Err… sir…?"

"Yes…?" asked Jun.

"How will we start the Nadesico?" asked Hari, "We don't have the Master key…"

"Damn it all!" cursed Jun.

...

"Sir… what are we going to do? We were unable to arrest any of them?" asked Erina. "And the security says that they've reached Nadesico…"

Nagare laughed, "But this time they don't have the key…"

"Are you sure?" asked Erina.

"Yes… it's been with me, even in the shower…" said Nagare and pulled out a pouch out of his pocket.

...

"You should really close those doors manually if you can't do it automatically," said Tenkamaru as she wheeled herself into the bridge.

"Eh…? What are you doing here?" asked Syuusuke.

"I thought you'd like this," said Tenkamaru as she held out the master key. "But since you don't seem to want it I'll take it back… I'm sure that man that I took it from still wants it…"

Tenkmaru did a 180 and was about to leave, Jun then stopped her, "Wait that's not what he meant…"

...

Nagare frowned, as he pulled out a large plastic clear key. Inside was a paper…

"What is this?" asked Nagare as he opened the key then unfolded the paper.

Erina looked over his shoulder and then screamed, "What the hell! Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Catching fishes, catching fishes

On a hook, on a hook

Pull them from the water

Put them in some batter

Yum, yum, good

Yum, yum, good

"They must really not want us to live this down," growled Erina. "She will definitely not haunt me…"

"Haunt you?" asked Nagare.

"That blasted song was created by Yurika Misumaru," growled Erina.

...

"How the hell did you get the master key?" asked Keigo.

"Mr. Akatsuki really shouldn't harass the disabled," said Tenkamaru, with a shake of her head and handed the key to Jun.

"That doesn't answer why you're here," said Seiichi.

"I thought you'd like the master key," said Tenkamaru.

"Thank you miss," said Jun, "I apologise that you have to be part of this battle…"

"I was already part of this to begin with," said Tenkamaru.

"Eh… Tenkamaru-chan… what are you doing here?" asked Eiji as he came to the bridge.

"Tenka… maru…?" questioned Jun.

"I think you should at least start the ship up unless you want to get blown up," said Tenkmaru.

"Wasn't that the name of the sender of the parcel?" asked Hari.

"Err… right… let's get out of here…" ordered Jun.

"Okay!" agreed everyone. The Nadesico moved away from the colony and went full speed ahead away from it.

"My… My… so it was you…" said Nagare as he came on screen and looked at Tenkamaru.

"**Never let your guard down, womaniser…"** said Tenkamaru.

"Well lucky for me I have a translator," said Nagare and called a man over. "Tell her that she will be a criminal if she does not get off that ship…"

"**Miss… you will be considered as a criminal if you do not get off that ship or somehow help us,"** said the man.

"**Is the criminal really me or is it you?"** asked Tenkamaru in another language.

"Sir… she's not talking in English," said the man.

"Then what language is it soldier?" asked Nagare.

"I think it's Italian," said the man.

"Then get someone who speaks Italian here," said Nagare. Another attempt was made with an Italian interpreter.

"**I really hope you understand the position I'm in,"** said Tenkamaru as she once again switched languages.

"Sir… it's not Italian! It's French…" said the man.

"What…!"

"But I was sure it was Italian," said the other man.

"I'm French," said the female.

"Tell her that she must stop the Nadesico or else," said Nagare.

"**Miss… it is advised that you must stop the Nadesico, the ship your on, or else," **said the woman in French.

"**Or else…? Please continue that incomplete sentence…" **asked Tenkamaru as she switched to Latin.

"Sir…! She's not speaking French…" said the woman.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Nagare. "Then what language is she speaking?"

"Latin," said Erina, "However there is no one here that knows that language… that language is a dead language!"

"She's scary," whispered Eiji, while Hari nodded in agreement.

Soon the Nadesico was out of range for the transition to be received and the screens disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" asked Saburota in amazement.

"There are no enemy's in range," said Hari and the Nadesico was off to its normal pace.

"What you have witnessed is her multilingual ability… right Ruri?" asked Jun.

"Of course, Mr. Jun," said Tenkamaru.

"Ruri…?" questioned everyone. They looked at Tenkamaru, who removed contact lenses and revealed her golden orbs.

"Ruri Hoshino," whispered Saburota, "So you are alive…"

"Was I that transparent?" asked Tenkamaru.

"No… I would have never guessed it was you," said Jun, "However it was your name that gave it away…"

"Her name?" asked Yuuta.

"Tenkamaru," said Jun, "a combination of Tenkawa and Misumaru, correct?"

"Yes…" said Tenkamaru.

"It's ingenious actually," said Inez as she came to the bridge.

"However your hiding place was much more ingenious," said the golden eyed girl.

"Hiding under their nose is nothing," said Inez.

"Yes… it may be nothing for you however I'm sure they will be kicking themselves when they look at the security cameras," said Tenkamaru.

"Indeed…" said Inez.

"What does he mean by Tenkawa and Misumaru?" whispered Yuuta.

"Allow me to explain," said Inez.

"Get to know the Nadesico! With Inez Fressange…"

"Hello and welcome to the first instalment of 'Get to know the Nadesico'," said Inez, "Today we will be talking about the significants of the name Tenkamaru…"

"Tenkamaru is a made up name derived from the surnames of Tenkawa and Misumaru," said Inez, "You are probably wondering why these two names…"

Everyone was nodding their heads as well as everyone on the ship, since it was being broadcast throughout the entire ship.

"Well… the surname Tenkawa belongs to Akito Tenkawa and Misumaru from Yurika Misumaru… the previous members of the Nadesico," explained Inez.

"So…? What about them?" asked Keigo.

"They gained guardianship of Ruri and were planning to live happily together, however the incident a year ago happened and they both passed on…" said Inez. "Therefore, by using the name Tenkamaru, she is utilising the use of her two parents name…"

"I thought she already had parents," said Saburota, "I mean they were still alive during the time this guardianship was established…"

"Yes… however, Ruri cut her ties with them already, she did not want be around the institute she was brought up," said Inez.

"Institute…?" questioned Kunimitsu.

"That's a different story," said Inez.

"Eh… where's the captain?" asked Hari and they found that Jun and Tenkamaru were missing.

"He said that he was going to take the captain back to her room," said Saburota, "Apparently he said that the captain should be resting…"

"Ruri Hoshino's taking over captainship?" asked Seiichi.

"Nyah…! Was the wheelchair was just an accessory to be undercover?" said Eiji.

**there you have it the secret of tenkamaru is reviewed... well one of them... bit strange wasn't it?? oh wellz... i think it gets stranger in the next chapter... not sure... more secrets will be revealled next chapter... three more chapters and an epilogue to go!! weeeeee... thanks for reading!! hugs and kisses!!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**chapter 12 is up!! whoo hoo!! and more secrets will be revealled!! yay!! and ryoma's name will be popping back into the story!! so there's no need for tantrums until next chapter and the chapter after that... (i probably get killed when they see the next two chapters...) okay... from here on there will be some out of character personalities... but i don't know to what extent... lol... oh well... thanks again for all those reviews!! it's motivation to get out of the house and find a computer to update my story!! hugs and kisses!! enjoy!!**

**Chapter 12**

Two weeks had past and Jun had taken command of the ship, claiming that the captain still needed rest. Everyone went on with their routine; however their thoughts would sometimes drift to Ryoma and wondered what he was doing. Still the nights were a bit lonely…

"You know what's sad…?" said Takeshi, as he slurped his instant noodles.

"What…?" asked Ryou.

"Us eating instant noodles for a midnight snack," said Takeshi.

"Nyah…! Ochibi is still missing!" said Eiji. "Hope he has a good life…"

"Ruri, you have to take it easy," said Jun.

"I'm fine, Mr. Jun," said the girl and they all turned to see her wheeling herself down the hallway.

"I've got everything under control," said Jun, "There's no need to stress…"

"It's not like I'm going to faint," said Tenkamaru.

"By the way… where are we heading?" asked Jun.

"Kitchen… I'm hungry," said Tenkamaru.

"Do you know how to cook?" asked Jun.

"Better than the captain," said Tenkamaru.

"I'm sure Yurika was no that bad at cooking," coughed Jun.

"Yes… and I'm sure after you tried her cooking that was still in the pan… you just happened to need to go to the sick bay," said Tenkamaru. (A/N: lol… this is a refence to an episode there Yurika was cooking for Akito… ultimately poisoning him… and Jun had a really huge crush/ in love with her… there were some left overs in the pan she was using so it ate it… he ended up going to the infirmary… pretty hilarious…)

Jun coughed, "I just happened to feel sick… it's just a coincident…"

"Right…"

"Nyah… where is Kawaii-chan going?" asked Eiji, "She still has that wheelchair… do you think she's attached to it?"

"No idea… from the pictures I've seen she usually doesn't need a wheel chair," said Takeshi. They followed the two into the kitchen and watched as the two moved around the kitchen much like a couple dancing with practice easy. Jun would occasionally look softly her way when he knew she wasn't looking.

...

"Captain… are you sure it is a good idea to turn off all out power?" asked Hari.

"Yes…" said Tenkamaru. "Allow us just to sail through space… and during this time we can figure out plans to take…"

Everyone gathered on bridge to hear the discussion.

"We could just fly in and attack the…" said Saburota.

"However I don't think killing everyone would be the answer," said Tenkamaru.

"However sometimes I wish it was," muttered Jun. "But the mission said to avoid killing if possible…"

"We will not stoop to their level and kill them off like what they did to the others…" repeated Tenkamaru, "From what I gathered… the base is exactly where the ruin is…"

"Therefore it means that there is a possibility that they'll be able to jump," said Inez.

"Yes…" said Tenkamaru, "however the element of surprise can allow us to get the upper hand…"

"How…?" asked Yuushi.

"Leave that to Ms. Inez and me…" said Tenkamaru.

...

"How are your legs?" asked Ms. Inez.

"They're the same," replied Tenkamaru, as she brushed her hands over them.

"What about her legs?" asked Syuichiroh, "She's alright isn't she?"

The regulars, Saburota and Hari all burst through the door of the medical lab.

"Sorry… I guess I can't play you like before," apologised Tenkamaru.

"What's wrong?" asked Genchiroh. "Like before…? What do you mean?"

"A neurological disease that somehow affected her nerve signals that go to her legs," said Jun from behind them, "She no longer has the ability to walk…"

"It's not that bad…" said Tenkamaru, "after all it could have been worse…"

"Princess Ruri… My name is…" started Saburota.

"Saburota Takasugi, you're my supposed body guard," said Tenkamaru, "I'm already aware of that…"

"How…?"

"Princess…?" questioned everyone.

"A… yes… it seems that we neglected to mention that Ruri was also princess of Peaceland…" said Inez.

"Peaceland…?" asked everyone.

"It used to be a theme park and casino but turned into a sovereign country that was neutral in all planetary politics," said Saburota.

"I might be taking up a different appearance, but I've already been watching the progress of the mission," replied the girl.

"I don't need a body guard, Mr. Saburota," said Tenkamaru, "I can take care of myself…"

"Ms. Inez… do you think you can jump the ship?" asked Tenkamaru as she changed the subject.

"I'm sure I can try however, it might leave us vulnerable to jump right at the centre of the enemy…" said Inez.

"That would be fine, Aestivalis' can prepare to take off, just in case," said Tenkamaru.

...

"Bring phase transition engines back online and all defences up," said Tenkamaru as she entered the bridge.

"Yes, Ma'am," said Saburota and Hari in unison.

They all watched as Tenkamaru pulled up the arm rest on her wheel chair was about to move into the captains seat.

"You could just ask for help," said Jun from behind her, and lifted her up and placed her on the seat.

"Thank you," said Tenkamaru. "Full speed ahead..."

"I'm ready for the jump," said Inez as the screen appeared.

"Okay… go through final check procedures," said Tenkamaru, "Omoikane… is everything A-Okay?"

A huge screen appeared with a smiley face.

"That's good," said Tenkamaru and they all watched in amazement as her chair extended out of the Window bowl. "When ever you're ready Ms. Inez…"

"I see… okay," said Ms. Inez and the screen disappeared. Everyone on board watched as space itself outside changed before their eyes.

Everyone widened their eyes as they watched Ryoma glow, her hands on orbs on the arm rest and her eyes closed. Her hair flew around her and sparkled making her look heavenly.

...

"Bose readings above!" announced a man.

"What…!"

"It's the Nadesico!" announced another.

"So they decided to come to us… all fighters attack the ship," said Nagare. Screens all over the base started to appear tell them to go to sleep.

"What's going on?"

All the enemy aestivalis' started to drift down to the ground. A screen appeared in the cockpit, "What are you doing? You're supposed to stay in position!"

"It's not our fault, it's been using on their own accord!" before anything else could be said, a screen appeared with a cartoon Ruri appeared in a corner a message: 'it's time to sleep'.

"She's… she's taken over all enemy fleets in around Mars," gapped Seiichi.

"…!" everyone was speechless

"I am Lieutenant Commander Ruri Hoshino Tenkamaru of the United Earth Space Fleet, former Chief science officer and Systems operator of Nadesico A. Also former captain of Nadesico B and currently captain of Nadesico C," said the girl as she appeared on all their screens her hair flowing around her, face and eyes glowing. "Nagare Akatsuki you are under arrest…"

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed a man.

"So you really are alive," said Nagare with a frown, "Tenkamaru… of course! Tenkawa and Misumaru…!"

"Ruri Hoshino died with the crew! And your hair colour is different!"

"I can explain that," said Inez.

"Get to know the Nadesico! With your host Inez Fressange and co-host Ruri Hoshino…"

"Hello and welcome… it's been awhile," said Inez, "My name is Inez Fressange and this is my co-host Ruri Hoshino and welcome to 'Get to know the Nadesico'…"

"They're wondering why you're not dead," said Inez to Tenkamaru.

"However they should also be asking why you are not either," said Tenkamaru.

"That is correct," said Inez. "My escape was very simple… they just forgot handcuff me with the anti-boson cuffs… therefore I was able to boson jump away… your case however is intriguing…"

"There is no accurate explanation why I survived," said Tenkamaru, "However it is believed that the heat and my altered DNA played a part…"

"Yes… The heat miraculously only altered her DNA and somehow survived… the alteration in her DNA also caused physical changes like her hair colour," said Inez. "Currently it seems that her DNA has slowly changed back to what it was previously and once again her hair will be changing."

At this point everyone looked at the young captain's hair and noticed that it was an emerald green, with silver regrowth, everyone was taken aback. No one had noticed the change in hair colour.

"If you're wondering… I dyed my hair black temporarily," said Tenkamaru.

"It's emerald as well," said Erina.

"That was also due to the heat," said Inez.

"Yes… a few months later I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander," said Tenkamaru, "However, things were overwhelming and I took into becoming a civilian… I took the alias Ryoma Echizen…"

Ryoma smirked, as everyone widened their eyes in shock. "I stayed with my aunt and uncle…"

"He's really a SHE…!" exclaimed most of the regulars.

"Aunt and Uncle…? Of course! That would mean that you weren't a street runt!" exclaimed Nagare.

"Yes… for months she stayed with her family, however, after the massacre of her family, she could no longer stay on the side and watch anymore…" said Inez, "She then devoted herself into the new Nadesico, drowning herself in work to forget everything…"

"That's irrelevant to say…" said Ryoma.

Nagare smirked; Araragi was escorted in, "Although you have the upper hand in systems... however we have the upper hand with a hostage…"

"Ru… Ruri Hoshino…? I was in her presence all this time! The pretty cure boy was you! The Cybernetic fairy!" exclaimed Araragi, "You are truly remarkable…"

Everyone just sweat dropped at this point.

"Are you willing to sacrifice another life?" asked Nagare. "For a worthless computer…?"

"Omoikane is not worthless," growled Ryoma, the glow around her seemed to intensify. "If you want to kill someone… kill me instead… there will be no more blood shed for me to witness anymore…"

Nagare laughed, "As much as it might seem… tempting… however, our research tell us that you are the only one that can fully operate that thing…"

Ryoma's eyes darkened, "Omoikane is not a thing! Why would I want to work for you? You've destroyed many lives… and joining you will only lead to more destruction…"

"Then I guess that means 'no', I must also tell you that there are a manually set missiles set to fire at earth…" said Nagare, he held up a gun and pointed it towards Araragi. "I'll give you time to consider…"

"Hmm… how about three hours…?" grinned Nagare. Ryoma cut off the link in disgust.

Ryoma's eyes narrowed, "Hari… how familiar are you with controlling the enemy fleet?"

"Eh… I can barely control the Nadesico's back up…" said Hari.

Jun appeared on Ryoma's screen, "Ruri-Ruri… don't do anything…"

"Mr. Jun… I can not allow anyone else to die…" whispered Ryoma. "I've lost too much… we've lost too much…"

"I know…" said Jun with a sad smile, "In the end we just have to do what is right…"

"…"

Ryoma looked down, "Ms. Inez… how well are you at Boson jumping the crew?"

"…?"

"I guess it could be possible with a distortion field, on one of the shuttles…" said Inez.

"Then please get the shuttle away from Mars as far as possible," said Ryoma.

"How far can you jump the ship?" asked Ryoma.

"A good few hundred kilometre," estimated Inez.

"Everyone please evacuate…" announced Ryoma throughout the whole ship.

"Huh…?"

"Everyone please evacuate onto the shuttle, Ms. Inez will Boson jump you to safety…" said Ryoma, her voice was strained. "Please… I'm not only ordering all of you… but I'm begging you… please… evacuate immediately…"

Everyone didn't budge at all, on the bridge they all turned to look at the captain, who was still glowing. They couldn't see her face; however they could see one lone tear drop down and float in the zero gravity.

"Ruri-Ruri…" whispered Jun. "You can't join them… you can't give up…"

"Mr. Jun… please go to the shuttle," whispered Ryoma, "Please…"

The regulars on the bridge just stared in shock as for the first time they have ever heard Ryoma beg for anything. A beg for something impossible.

"No…! We've come all this way to avenge the Nadesico crew and arrest Nagare Akatsuki… I can't allow you to go over to his side with Omoikane…" said Jun. "I won't allow it!"

"There are missiles that are aimed at Earth! Missiles that can blow up the whole planet!" screamed Ryoma as she threw up her head and they could see her eyes brimming with tears, "It's manually set! I can't control it! With a snap of his finger he can send it flying to earth… out of everything I could do… I can't control those missiles!"

"We can still fight!" said Genichiroh. "That is the Jovian way…"

"We can…" started Saburota as he appeared on screen from his cockpit, however…

"I've considered raiding already, Lieutenant," said Ryoma, "You will be outnumbered as soon as you set foot on that base… currently, there are no able personnel that have enough capability to take on the people in there…"

"I can subdue the enemy for you to leave," said Ryoma. "I don't want anyone on this ship to die because of this…"

"You can not seriously consider joining them!" shouted Jun, "I'd rather die then allow you to join them!"

"Please trust me," whispered Ryoma.

"Your very special to me," said Jun desperately, "Please… I can't loose you… you mean the world to me…"

"…"

"Ochibi!" called Eiji, "Tell us to do anything and we'll do it! But not this…!"

"I know what I'm doing…" whispered Ryoma, "Just… please… go…"

"No…" said Kunimitsu, "We can not allow you to such a careless thing…"

Ryoma frowned, they were all stubborn… no one wanted to yield… there had to be a compromise. Ryoma knew that she was stubborn however she could not match up to all their stubbornness combined…

"Ms. Inez…" whispered Ryoma and immediately Ms. Inez appeared on screen, "In ten minutes please jump the Nadesico as far away from Mars…"

"Of course…" said Ms. Inez, "However preparations might take thirty minutes…"

"Please hurry then," said Ryoma.

**there you have it!! ryoma has appeared (in a sense)... they plan to escape... but will they get far and what will happen to all of them? how will they save humanity from the brink of destruction...? (i think that's full on...)... two chapters and one epilogue left!! stay tuned and find out what happens!! thanks again for reading!!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**here it is the 2nd last chapter of the story!! Nadesico is going to boson jump away... what are they planning to do to save humanity?? thanks for all the review!! i really love reading them!! lol... as for a sequel... hmmm... i not sure... i have no idea what to do with the plot... hmmm... if there is a sequel... it might only end up being two chapters long... but... the sequel is indefinite... not sure yet... lol... anyhow... thanks again for all the review... there will be another plot twist... what better way to slowly reach the end than to use another twist!! lol... enjoy the read!! hugs and kisses!!**

**Chapter 13:**

Everyone sighed in relief. Ryoma however had a different expression on her face. Her eyes still brimmed with tears. A screen appeared: Are you sure?

"Hai… Omoikane…" whispered Ryoma, "This is the only way…"

Another screen appeared: I'll stay by you…

"Arigatou…" whispered Ryoma with a few sniffles, "Arigatou… dear friend…"

"How long will be ready, Ms. Inez?" asked Ryoma, as she connected the link between them.

"Twenty minutes at most," said Ms. Inez, with a smile, "We can't allow you to go to them… you know that…"

Ryoma looked pained, "I know that…"

"We'll just have to think of a better plan to save everyone," said Ms. Inez.

Ryoma nodded mutely, "Thank you for all those talks that we've had… they were very educational…"

"It's the least I can do… after all, you were the only one that I could have an intellectual conversation with," said Ms. Inez, "And I'm sure we'll have many more…"

"I'd… I'd really like that," said Ryoma and the screen disappeared

"Everything's almost done," said Seiya as he appeared in screen

"Thank you, Mr. Seiya," said Ryoma.

Seiya scratched the back of his head, "It was nothing… after all you're so young… and I think of you as my own child sometimes… when we finish this stupid war, I'll adopt you and you can help my wife take care of the children… they'll be you siblings…"

Ryoma allowed a tear to streak, "Thank you… thank you very much… for everything…"

Ryoma then turned the transmission to all the tennis regulars, "Gomen… I won't be able to play tennis with you anymore… You were all… like my caring older brothers that I never had… thank you…" (A/N: Ruri does have brothers but their younger… and I bit strange… but she doesn't have any older siblings…)

"I'm sorry I can't have any rematches with any of you… maybe… we'll have it one day… I promise we'll play again… with the stars…" said Ryoma softly.

The regulars frowned at this, it was strange for the freshman to say such strange words, then again they realise that Ryoma was not exactly the person they thought he was. He was a she; Jun also frowned when he heard Ryoma's message to everyone. Ruri Hoshino, a girl born from DNA engineering and Nanotechnology, created to be an operator who could connect directly with the computer… born from a test tube… born into this cruel world… Ruri Hoshino the youngest captain and child prodigy…

Jun turned to look as a few of the regulars, 'they're still young… they have a whole life ahead of them… the rest of schooling to get through… more tennis to battle for… they should be at home worrying about exams, not here worrying about the world…'

He then turned to Ryoma, and watched her as she continued to take control of the enemy… He watched as her hair floated around her like waves. The glow around her made her look heavenly and angelic… however he knew her life wasn't so.

'She should be enjoying life…' thought Jun, 'however, Fate was cruel and tossed you into this whole mess…'

'I'll make sure you have a peaceful life after this…' promised Jun, 'I'll make sure you never have to be involved in war ever again… I'll protect you from that… you'll never be sad…'

Ryoma turned her eyes towards Jun and they locked eyes, she offered a small smile in which Jun returned.

'Yes… I want to protect your smile… I want to see you smile all the time,' Jun said silently.

Ryoma then broadcasted her next message to the whole ship, "Thank you for putting up with a brat like me as a captain… I hope… you'll all have a… bright… beautiful future after this all ends…"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion with the weird broadcast from the child prodigy and they came to a conclusion that Ruri Hoshino is still a kid at heart. No matter how mature the girl seemed, she would always be a young girl placed into a situation that forced her to grow up in the world of chaos. They realised that times like these where she showed her vulnerable side, should be cherished as it might never happen again…

"We're ready for the jump," said Inez.

"Final check procedures… Omoikane… are you sure you want to do this?" asked Ryoma.

The screen appeared: you're a true friend and I will be with you to the very end. I will follow through with you…

"Thank you Omoikane," said Ryoma as more tears seemed to form in her eyes.

"Okay… when ever you're ready, Ms. Inez…" whispered Ryoma, trying to not choke.

Tears fell from Ryoma's eyes, with zero gravity on, it started to float around the bridge. The Chulip crystals scattered around the ship and the ship started to flash.

"Gomen ne minna… sayonara…" whispered Ryoma, as tears streamed down her face.

On base Nagare smirked, "I guess they're retreating… smart move… they can't win no matter what they do…"

"You'll never defeat us!" declared Araragi, "I'd rather die than allow you to lay a hand on the fairy!"

"Oh boo hoo… who cares," said Erina. "With Omoikane and Ruri close to our disposal we will be unstoppable!"

"As soon as they jump… your systems will be back online," said Nagare.

"When our systems are back online… dispatch all units at the Nadesico," ordered Nagare, "They won't fight back… after all we have a few missiles aimed at Earth…"

"One wrong move and bye-bye Mother Earth…" laughed Erina, "They're so naïve to think that they could just run away from us and think that they can make a better plan…"

Araragi looked in horror as he heard all this, even if the Nadesico did escape… they could not fight back in fear that Earth would be fired upon. He hung his head in shame for being caught in such a predicament. If only he was stronger and better at leading a ship like Ruri Hoshino and Yurika Misumaru. He felt pathetic; he could not match to the commanding power to two females. He felt worthless… there was nothing he could do and he knew his men felt the same. Being fans of Ruri Hoshino, the cybernetic fairy, and fantasying about being her knight and shining armour… They felt… disgusted as men to allow a young girl to act as a knight and rescue them who were like damsels. Silently they vowed to somehow get rid of the base as soon as Nadesico departed. To make sure nothing happened to the young captain and her ship and well as their home planet, Earth.

Silently they waited, making sure that they could picture themselves on what they were doing. Every piece of their plan had to be right… every detail perfect. Silently they tried to untie themselves from their confines. They could not fail earth… they could not fail Nadesico and most of all they could not fail Ruri. They could not fail the girl; the girl who threw away her childhood for the good of mankind.

They made sure the guards didn't notice their attempt. Araragi, who was in the control room, somehow was thinking the same thing. He took and deep breathe and placed on this calm kind face back on.

'Yes… as soon as Nadesico C goes… we will allow Ruri to not worry about us any longer,' thought Araragi.

Silently they all agreed, 'We will become the heroes that came from behind… a thank you gift to the young captain that given up so much for all of us…'

The Nadesico disappeared from Mars. Nagare smirked and waited for the systems to get back online… nothing happened.

Nadesico

"We did it! We're always from Mars," cheered everyone.

"Captain what now…?" asked Hari, there was no reply. They all turned to the captain, her place was empty. "What the…?"

"Ruri-Ruri… No!" shouted Jun in frustration, "She's back at Mars!!"

"What…!" exclaimed everyone. They saw the small drops of water floating, 'Tears…'

"She can Boson Jump," said Jun angrily, "So resisting a Boson jump is exactly the same thing… Ruri-Ruri, why must you always get your way?"

A screen appeared Ryoma appeared, her face streaming with tears, "I'm sorry… but this is something I must do…"

"Even though we out of transmission range…" said Hari in awe. 'She sends a transmission even out of the transmission range… she is truly scary…'

"Why…?" asked Jun as he allowed tears to run down his face, "We could have saved everyone, together. You don't have to join them… that's not the only way…"

Ryoma smiled sadly, "Mr. Jun… you've been very kind to me even when I've been a brat… thank you… but this is something that only I and Omoikane can do… something that maybe we could have done beforehand… thank you from the bottom of my heart… thank you for welcoming me… for being with me all this time… for supporting me… for just being there…"

"As soon as they go back online, I know they will dispatch a few fleets to come after us," said Ryoma, "We would have no choice but to surrender then… we fight them they will fire the missiles… this is the only way I know everything will work out…"

Jun cried, "I love you damn it! You can't just do all this by yourself! You should have at least taken someone… you could have asked me…!"

"What would you say if I asked you?" asked Ryoma.

"I would have said no! I'm not allowing you to join them!" said Jun.

Ryoma smiled and allowed tears to run down, "I thank you for your love… I'm sure… I'm very sure… that we'll… we'll meet again… I'm glad to have fought side by side with you…"

"I'm… we're not going to leave you there!" declared Jun. "I can't allow you to be controlled by them… I don't want to meet you across the battle field…"

Ryoma shook her head sadly, "They won't control me…"

She looked to the up at something they couldn't see and looked back at them with a smile, "It's time… they're waiting for us… Goodbye… live life to the fullest… No regrets, Mr. Jun, no regrets…"

The screen disappeared.

"Us…?"

"Sir… Omoikane isn't here…" said Hari. 'Only a short moment and she could immediately do all that… she's truly amazing… but if she joins the other side…'

Hari shivered at the thought, 'we're all doomed…'

"What…! We're doomed!" screamed a person.

"Damn it all!" screamed Jun as he cried and punched the wall so many times. "We're going back to Mars. Set course for Mars!!"

Mars

"Why aren't we back online?" asked Nagare.

"Sir… Ruri Hoshino is out there!" said a man.

"!"

Nagare smirked, "So she's decided that she'll side with us…? Smart girl…"

"But we're not back online…" said Erina.

"Momentarily," said Nagare, "She just wants to tell us something…"

On cue a screen appeared, but what surprised Nagare was the fact that she wasn't directing her conversation towards him, "Mr. Araragi… I apologise if we couldn't save you and your crew…"

"No… we failed you," said Araragi, "You shouldn't have stayed… you've spoilt my master plan… you don't have to join them… save yourself…"

Ryoma smiled and everyone was stunned, tears streaked down her cheek, "No… I apologise… I've failed you… please forgive me… I should have come up with a better idea… and I hope there will be no hard feeling for what I'm about to do…"

Araragi shook his head with a sad, "No… whatever it is… I'll understand… it's my fault… it's been an honour to have met you and fought with the Nadesico…"

The screen disappeared. Ryoma was on the ground with her laptop, her hand glowing. A screen appeared: Thank you for everything…

"No… I should be thanking you, Omoikane… you've been with me from the very beginning to this crazy mission… Thank you dear friend…" said Ryoma, "I guess were all idiots…let's do this… this is where the madness ends…"

Nadesico

"Come on…" muttered Jun, "We have to get to her soon… Ruri-Ruri… please be alright."

"Sir we have a visual of Mars!" said Syuusuke. The planet appeared on screen.

Screens appeared all around the Nadesico: Time to sleep, Goodnight and farewell…

"She's taken control of the ship…" uttered Yuuta in amazement.

"Even without big computers… she's still able to take over the system…" muttered Hari in awe. 'She's of a completely different level than me…'

"We can't go anywhere!" said Seiichi.

"I've failed my mission," frowned Saburota. "However I will redeem myself and get her back…"

"Sir… huge readings from Mars!" said Kunimitsu.

They watched as Mars made a ripple, the visual disappeared and fuzzed out.

"What happened?" asked Jun in panic.

**ARG!! what happened?! ryoma joining the bad guys? what's she planning!! as you can see... i added a dash of romance... not much but it's there... everyone new to the Nadesico is awed by the awesome power that is Ryoma... the end is closely approaching... take a guess on what happens next!! thanks again for reading!! hugs and kisses all round!! :Now i have to prepare myself to duck for cover in the next chapter...: lol...**


	15. Chapter 14

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**last chapter!! Arg!! i don't know if i should be happy or sad... lol... oh well... anyways... this was fun to type up... i'm actually amazed that i wrote this up... lol... anyways there is still the epilogue to come... and then the story is complete!! yay!! anyways... thanks again for all the reviews!! it was fun reading them... and now on with the story!! how it's not over the top!! hugs and kisses!!**

**Chapter 14**

"What happened?" asked Jun in panic.

"I don't know?" said Hari. "There's some sort of disturbance that caused the malfunction…"

"Ruri-Ruri, please be safe…" whispered Jun, with his hands together in prayer.

"Sir… we've got the visual back…" said Seiichi. A screen appeared… empty space…

"Where's Mars?" asked Jun.

"It's… It's…" started Syuusuke, his eyes opened in shock, "It's gone…"

"Gone…?" asked Jun, his hands shaking.

"They boson jumped a whole planet?" asked Keigo, with a frown.

"No… they didn't… they were…" whispered Syuusuke.

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

.…

.…

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

"…destroyed," whispered Syuusuke, and allowed himself to cry.

"!"

"No… No!" shouted Jun, "That can't happen… she was supposed to be there… she's supposed to allow us to save her… she was supposed to allow us to save the world together! She was supposed to allow someone to be her knight!"

Kitchen

"Ouch…" Mrs. Howmei held up her cut finger and looked at it.

"Mrs. Howmei… are you alright? You never cut your finger before!" exclaimed a Howmei girl.

'Something bad must have happened,' thought Mrs. Howmei in worry.

Hanger

"Damn it! What the hell wrong with this wrench?" shouted Seiya and tossed it to the floor… the metal wrench broke, surprising everyone.

"Wow… you must be really strong to have thrown it that hard to break," commented Bunta.

Seiya frowned, 'this isn't good… this isn't good at all…'

Sick Bay

Inez, looked out into space, slowly she reached for her wine glass. She accidentally knocked it over, "That was the last of my favourite wine…"

"This isn't good," said Inez.

"Help…!" called out Yuuta.

"Him again…" sighed Inez and opened the door and saw him and all the other systems and communications operators, with an unconscious Jun.

"What happened…?" asked Inez.

"He fainted," said Yuuta.

"That's all…?" asked Inez with a frown, as she picked up her glasses from the table.

"That was after we told he that Mars exploded," muttered Keigo. Inez dropped her glasses, and spun around.

"What was that..!" demanded Inez.

"Mars… it exploded," whispered Seiichi.

Inez stared in shock and did not notice the tears that came down her face.

"Ruri…" whispered Inez, and walked towards the window and looked out into space, "That's why, wasn't it…? The final goodbye…"

Inez chuckled, "You really couldn't take no for an answer could you… in the end… you were the bravest amongst us all…"

The systems and communication operators left and made their way to the bridge, to make sure that nothing happens.

"Oi… where's the captain? I need to ask him when I can head out and rescue the princess," said Saburota, as he appeared as well as other pilots and Seiya. They couldn't take it anymore and allowed the tears that they held, to fall. Everyone stared in shock. Especially when most of them were know to show no sadness at all.

"Oi… where's the captain? What's going on?" asked Saburota as he was freaked out a bit. Hari pointed to the sick bay before bawling his eyes out.

"The captain's sick? Is he dying?" asked Takeshi. They shook their heads.

Seiya shook his head vigorously, "No… that can't be right… I'm not going to believe it!"

"What's going on?" asked Genichiroh and Genchiroh at the same time. However Seiya continued on his ramble.

"I will not believe that Ruri-Ruri's dead! I won't…! Tell me that she's fine!" demanded Seiya in a desperate tone. The communications officers just shook their head and continued to cry. "No…! I was supposed to raise her as my own when this was all over! She was going to be a big sister…"

Seiya stumbled away from them like a drunk, disoriented and aimless…

"Tell me his wrong," said Takeshi.

"I'm afraid… not, Momo," choked Syuusuke.

"What…! How…?" grunted Kaoru in disbelief, he could not believe that the kid could die.

"No… that kid can't be dead… she has to get better!" shouted Takeshi. "She promised to have a match with us!"

"What's going on out here!" asked Eiji as he walked out from the kitchen and stood shocked at the sight off everyone. Soon he was accompanied by the other kitchen staff and maintenance that were in the kitchen getting food.

Mrs. Howmei took one look at them, "Oh God… No… please no… you can't do this…"

Everyone looked at her and then looked at the others who were in tears. The maintenance and kitchen hands shared a look of worry.

The Howmei girls looked at each other with worry etched on their face, "Mrs. Howmei… I'm sure… I'm sure that… that… she's… she's just waiting for us…"

"Yes… waiting for us on Mars…" said another Howmei girl.

"Mars exploded," whispered Seiichi. Everyone froze.

"Mars… exploded…?" asked Syuichiroh. The communications officers nodded; Mrs. Howmei was close to collapsing and sobbed.

"Ochibi…?" whispered Eiji, "She's… she's gone…?"

"We had her intentions all wrong… she didn't want to join them…" whispered Yuuta, "she destroyed the planet… and wanted to save us… and earth…"

No one had the heart to say anymore, silently they allowed a moment of silence. Everyone allowed tears to come; some were more vocal in their tears as they turned to sobs, others allowed the tears to trail down their cheek shamelessly.

The young girl that pretended to be a boy, to hide from the world of war… the same girl that helped them discover that they were not at all as strong in tennis as they thought. The girl that said being cocky took too much energy and said she was too lazy… the young girl not yet a teen, that did not care what everyone thought about her. The one who allowed everyone to bad mouth her and didn't look for revenge, but avenged those that she cared for. The young girl that was a fearless captain, who lost practically everything and gained almost nothing… the same person who they were weary of as a possible spy or betrayer, for the fact that she was so smart and talented. Child prodigy at birth and ultimately the perfect systems operator was no longer with them.

She was gone and somehow they felt horrible. Horrible for the fact that they accused her for being suspicious on many occasions and that they could no longer have the chance to tell her that they were sorry in person. They felt horrible for not looking out for her as her sempai. Horrible that as her royal guard he could not protect her and that she was able to protect the universe. The feeling of shame, as they pushed her aside and considered her as someone, who was somewhat a show off, and somehow knew so much without trying. They could do nothing now but regret.

However they could not stop the feeling of hate at the same time. The hate for Omoikane that Ryoma was so attracted to and was willing to protect. Hate for themselves, for not being able to do anything for anyone. The hate they felt for not looking out for their kouhai's wellbeing. They knew it was too late to do anything. The Royal princess that in fairytales were always the damsels and was always guarded very well. It had changed, everything had changed. Although royalty always looks out for the wellbeing of their people, Ryoma took a step further and sacrificed herself for the universe. She was no damsel and acted like a fearless knight.

Silently they knew that everything she had said before and the smiles she gave was her farewell. It was her way of saying sorry… saying that this was the last memory that they could ever make with her. Allowing them to see, the vulnerable side that, they have never seen in the girl before. Rikkai regulars never known Ryoma, and only heard rumours of the super rookie. They wanted so much to play her and at the same time to crush her and declare they were still invisible. However, now, they could see that the girl was far stronger than all of them. Someone who they could never defeat… someone with the heart of gold… she feared nothing… The moments they spent with her blew their minds away and slowly they felt responsible for her, with the little knowledge they knew about her. Now… they could no longer be able to get to know the enigma.

Soon the news spread throughout the ship and no one was in the mood to work, eat or talk. Jun was still in sick bay, his eyes lifeless and dull. Inez was checking up on him every now and again. They somehow understood each other silently and no words were needed.

Each regular was in their own room, taking their own way to grieving. Syuusuke pooling over albums of pictures; Eiji hugging his pillow tightly and crying; Takeshi opening and closing his wallet while running his hands over the 'doubles for dummies' book. This was something no one expected to happen. They felt that if they were all alone and asleep, maybe… just maybe they could wake up and find it was just a nightmare.

There was only one person in the whole ship that seemed to be doing work… Seiya… He didn't care what anyone said; he wanted to get himself so tired that he couldn't think straight. He wanted to drink until he was drunk, drown in the poison that would affect his brain and help him forget the pain that he felt. However he knew that that wasn't what she wanted, he knew that she might be looking down at them and shaking her head in disapproval. He didn't want that… he didn't want to show her that they had all disappointed her…

He knew what she would have said if she was able to tell them. 'When someone dies… they don't really leave… it's not goodbye forever… they will always be with you… watching over you… worrying about you… and at the same time feeling guilty that they aren't there in person with you…'

"That brat…" cried Seiya, "A whole lifetime of knowledge… even when she's not here she's still able to give me advice…"

Seiya wiped his eyes and grinned while he looked determined, "Yes this is what she wanted…"

He marched himself out of the cockpit and started yelling at everyone who sulked, "What the hell are you doing? Get back to work and be a man!"

He marched into the infirmary and took Jun by the arm, "Come on Jun… you have a ship to command!"

"Leave me be!" muttered Jun.

"What do you think Ruri-Ruri would say if she saw you like this?" asked Seiya.

"…"

"'Fools… What a bunch of fool…' that's what she would say," said Seiya. Jun's eyes widened, "I know she's the opposite to all of us… but she doesn't idle around after a death… now be a man and command the ship…"

"Ruri-Ruri…" whispered Jun as he looked down the hall. Seiya looked too and his eyes widened.

Eiji

"O…Ochibi…" whispered Eiji as he sat up in bed with his eyes wide.

Inez

"Ruri," uttered Inez, as she dropped her glasses again.

Syuusuke

"…" Syuusuke sat speechlessly with his eyes open.

Sadaharu & Renji

"This is illogical…" muttered the two data collectors in unison.

Throughout the ship everyone was in shock, they could not comprehend what was happening. They could not begin to say a thing.

"Ruri-Ruri… you're here…" said Jun. There was no reply on Ryoma's part.

"How could you do such a careless thing?" asked Jun, "We were so worried!"

Ryoma just stood in front of everyone. In every part of the ship there seemed to be a Ryoma in front of every member. Each one, having a different appearance… some had the image of the young Ruri with silver hair others had Ryoma with emerald hair… some saw her in a wheel chair others saw her standing up…

"I'm not real," Ryoma finally said.

"No… that's not true!" said Jun, "you're right here in front of us!"

"This is exactly like the time Omoikane had a bug…" said Ryoma, "I'm just an illusion create by what is holding you back…" (A/N: when Omoikane had the bug, the bug started to control the ship and people started to see illusions and some started to act strange…)

"No, you're real! You have to be real…" said Jun.

Ryoma shook her head sadly and smiled, "I'm sorry but in your heart you know that this isn't real… this is something that you yearn to see… Just remember that even though I am not here in flesh…"

"No…! Don't say it!" cried Jun. "I don't want to hear those words…"

"I'll always be watching over you…" said Ryoma. "I want to stop this madness that is on this ship…"

"People die, Mr. Jun… it is the way of life…" said Ryoma, "Some just die earlier than others… you must not allow one death to take away your own happiness…"

"You were my happiness!" cried Jun.

"I apologise for my selfishness… Mr. Seiya… I'm sure your children will grow to be fine people…" smiled Ryoma.

Infirmary

"Ms. Inez… I apologise that we couldn't have anymore talks…" said Ryoma.

Kitchen

"I'll miss your cooking…" said Ryoma.

Cockpit

"It was nice to know that my parents cared enough to send you to protect me…" said Ryoma.

Other rooms

Ryoma held a tennis racquet, "I apologise that we could no longer play tennis with each other… however we will one day… I promised… we'll play tennis with the stars…"

"I'll always watch over you… look to the stars… and I'll be there," said Ryoma and slowly she faded.

"Ruri-Ruri!" shouted Jun.

"Mr. Jun… please be a captain that everyone would respect and look up to…" Jun widened his eyes at those words. He wiped away his tears and stood up straight.

"Okay… Seiya… get maintenance and get to work…" said Jun.

"Aye… Aye captain," said Seiya.

"This is your captain Jun speaking," said Jun over the PA. "Everyone get to work… we have many things to do!"

Everyone looked shocked over this, however made their way to their stations.

"Set course to Mars," said Jun in the captain's chair. Everyone turned to him in surprise, "It wouldn't be right if we stayed here and not look at what's left over there…"

"Aye… Aye…" said the crew and set to work.

A few minutes later they reach Mars and could see what was left, floating debris and if they didn't know any better they would have mistake them as a cluster of asteroids.

"Sir we have a message coming in," said Hari.

"Who from…?" asked Jun.

"The… the Captain and Omoikane…" stuttered Hari. Everyone's eyes widened.

"Patch it in…" said Jun as he looked determined. There was no visual but Ryoma's voice rung throughout the ship.

"By the time you get this message… You would have reached Mars and Mars would have been destroyed… it was the only way to stop this madness… Omoikane agrees too… Without us… this world might have been less violent…" said the voice that was Ryoma's.

"I'm tired to watching all this fighting… however I will continue watching over you as the others has continued to watch over all of us… This is my complete version of my written English piece," said Ryoma's voice. "I'll be sure to say hi to the others for you…"

"There's an attachment," said Hari.

The Seigaku regulars on the bridge looked at the document with wide eyes, the English piece that was very deep.

"This isn't goodbye… but only the beginning," said Ryoma, "Live life to the fullest… we'll meet again in the waltz of the stars…"

The message ended and everyone was silent. Jun broke the silence, "You heard her men… live life to the fullest… we don't want her saying that we're idiots to everyone else she's with right now…"

"Let's show her that we've taken what she said and really listen to her," said Jun, with a soft smile, "She'll always be with us…"

"In the tennis that some play… in the food that we eat… in our minds and in our hearts…" said Jun, "That's what she would have wanted us to think and believe…"

"Aye…" said everyone and got back to work.

**:cries: i was so close to tears when i reread this... and then i thought: 'hang on... i cen't believe i wrote this...' lol... the sttories not done... yep... the epilogue will be up in two days or maybe tmrw... not sure... anyways... thanks for keeping to tabs with this story and thank you for reading it!! it made my day... or year... not sure... which word fits... lol... thanks again for reading!! hugs and kisses!!**


	16. Epilogue

Galaxy of Stars

**Galaxy of S****tars**

Summary: after the murder of the Echizen family, strange people seem to be interested in the Seigaku, Rikkai and Hyoutei regulars in particularly in Ryoma. Who, become much calmer and less enthusiastic than anyone has ever seen. Nadesico Crossover…

**ARG!! sorry for the wait but i have a good excuse!! errr... right the excuse... lol... well besides the fact that i couldn't reach a comp with the net... i was also trying to decide whether or not to do a sequel... and then i thought... hmmm... why don't i just ask the readers if i should do a sequel... and if tones of them want a sequel then i'll try my hardest to rake my brain for ideas... however i probably should warn you in advance that it might not be as long and as good as this one... lol... thanks again for all the cool review!! i loved them all!! hugs and kisses!! there's the epilogue!! please enjoy!!**

**Epilogue**

Death is not the end of the world. It is only the beginning of a new existence. Death is something that is absolute… Life is what we choose to make it… we must fight or face defeat... It is family and friends that keep us from hurting. They are the ones by our sides when we need them the most. They are the one's that will help us. To continue living is something that takes courage. To take one's life is the easy way out. In most religions suicide is forbidden, no matter what the excuse, killing is also forbidden. However the crusades was an example of those exceptions. To make mistakes allow us to become human. No one is perfect and slowly we have to part with the ones we love. It's painful to think it was only moments before when they were in our lives and the next they're gone. However those who die never leave us forever, they watch us from above. With the stars… they are the stars in the sky… they will always be in our hearts and at the back of our minds. Sometimes they will be the voices in one's head or even an illusion in front of a person. The people we love may appear in one's dreams… making sure we're fine… therefore they are never gone. When someone dies… they don't really leave… it's not goodbye forever… they will always be with you… watching over you… worrying about you… and at the same time feeling guilty that they aren't there in person with you…

Our loved ones always sends the same message: live life to the fullest and with no regrets. But how many of us follow that saying, we promise ourselves we will, but time and time again we go back on our word. It isn't until we are faced with a huge decision that we regret. Regret about many things, from the littlest things to the very big ones. However we know there is no return, because at that point it is the point of no return. Even so, that last moment, they would not trade anything in the world. Death only comes once, however the brink of death comes many times. It does not matter about the situation and anyone can be faced with death, that path we choose decides our fate. Fate is decides by us and that will lead to our destiny. It is the weak hearted that decide to leave fate to destiny.

Emotions means many things. However it is wrong to say that those who show emotions are weak. It is those who show emotions who are strong. They do not care what they show and are fearless to show weakness. But it is not to say that those who don't are weak. It is fear that we do not show all our emotions in front of others. Fear of looking weak… Fear of being judged… fear… there is a saying that tells us that a picture paints a thousand words. That is the same with emotions. Tears can come from joy… sadness… anger… frustration… Smiles are the same. A smile can be placed to show happiness… to mislead someone… there are many things behind a smile. When there is nothing left, one can smile and place on a façade. It is fear of worrying others that we conceal our emotions. But it is only human for people to worry, whether it be a friend… a lover… a relative… We are bound together by the red string of fate… whether it be direct or indirect… There is no stopping the feeling of dread in the pit of our stomaches when we hear of someone's death… even if it is a person we do not know well or someone we know very well. It is only nature to grieve at a loss… any loss, it is still considered as a loss.

In the end we have to live life for ourselves and remember our loved ones to truly fulfil their wishes. By going on happily with life isn't betraying their memory… but fulfilling what they would have wanted. We can never be sure when death knocks at our door, however to open that door is our choice. People sacrifice their lives for others to live… we can not allow their sacrifice to go in vain… their sacrifice is a show of love, a sign to everyone that they are willing to forfeit their life for something or even someone they truly care about. Besides the ultimate sacrifice of giving up ones life for others, it is the sacrifice of accepting their sacrifice that is hard. It is acceptance that makes us truly understand and live in peace. To truly understand what was given to us… new life and a new start… And when the time comes, our loved one's will be waiting for us with open arms and welcoming you in the galaxy of stars.

OWARI

**OMG!! i can't believe i finished the story!! not sure if the epilogue was as good as the prologue but hey... i have my moments... lol... please tell me if i should do a sequel... or should i just stop here?? now that i think about it... some animes i've watched had sequel however the second season wasn't as good as first season... arg!! can't decide!! if i do do a sequel then i probably going to take a while to post it up... because one i have to plan it (somehow) and two i'm going to WYD (world youth day) soon... and i'll be gone for over a week... arg!! and uni starts while im away!! sometimes i think school has a vandette on me for some reason... oh wells... tell me what you think!! love you all heaps!! hugs and kisses!!**


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